


Avatar: The Rise of the Avengers

by LovableKillerWhale



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (eventually) - Freeform, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, And happiness eventually, And it's gonna be looong, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, But also plot!, Canon-Typical Violence, Dragons, Enemies to Friends, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt Tony Stark, Inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, Only past or minor, POV Alternating, Plot, Quests, Spirit World (Avatar), Spirits, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers-centric, Steve as the Avatar, Tagged characters will appear as the story progresses, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, They Make It Work, They're the main characters but every one of the og avengers takes a turn at pov, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony as a Fire Nation non-bender, Turtleduck(s), no ships yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:48:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26139940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovableKillerWhale/pseuds/LovableKillerWhale
Summary: The Avatar has been gone for many years, lost in the war that the old Fire Lord Johann waged against the other nations. The war raged on for two decades, but came to an abrupt end with the Fire Lord's untimely demise. Fragile peace and balance settled over the world afterwards.Seventy years passed since the Avatar's mysterious disappearence and everything changes when Tony Stark discovers the missing Avatar at the South Pole.Avatar Steve never expected to wake up after he opted to sacrifice his life to end the war. Yet there he is, in the future, with everything and everyone he ever knew gone, with the exception of Hoshi, his animal guide.How does Steve fit into this new world that has moved on without him? Does the world still need the Avatar?A conflict brews on the horizon, and only the Avatar can restore balance. Steve can't do it alone. But that doesn't mean he has to. A band of unlikely heroes gathers to face the threat together, as a team.As the Avengers.---MCU's first Avengers reworked and rewritten in the ATLA universe with some twists and turns, now with more angst and character arcs and friendships.
Relationships: Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
Comments: 22
Kudos: 14





	1. The Man in the Iceberg

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> I have had the idea to write a Marvel/ATLA crossover for a good while now and I have like 20k written already, oops. 
> 
> Originally I thought I'd post this after I finish the story, but at the moment ATLA is a bandwagon so it might be a good idea to post this in the midst of the reneissance. I'm posting this kind of as an experiment to see how many/if people like it.
> 
> If you do, please leave a comment <3 Kudos and bookmarks are appreciated too!
> 
> Oh, and just a heads up, no ATLA characters are canon, I just took the setting and put Marvel in it. All tagged characters will appear sooner or later and it might take a while before some of the other Avengers are introduced, but they're coming, I promise. 
> 
> Updates will be probably every two weeks so that I can keep a writing schedule. If all goe well, maybe even weekly, who knows.
> 
> Won't keep you any longer now, please proceed <3

Freezing water lapped against the sides of an iron ship that pierced its way through the ice with ease. The glacier moaned, but gave way to the metal hull of the boat that sliced it like butter. 

A spray of ice cold water drops landed on the board, sweeping over the deck. Anthony Stark didn't even flinch at the icy assault that felt like daggers, his pale face already numb from the howling wind that shook the hood of his heavy winter coat lined with the finest otter penguin pelt.

He raised a crystal glass to his face, savouring the fleeting sweet scent of red wine. He sipped at it slowly, overlooking the vast, white wasteland surrounding them. For miles, all the human eye could see was only snow and ice, but Tony knew better. He came to the South Pole for a reason, even if other nobles would rather party around and drink themselves blind (not that Tony hadn't been there). 

No, he knew better. If they dug far enough down, they would reach the earth beneath, and with it, ores and minerals that couldn't have been found anywhere else in the world. Other riches, such as oil and sweet gas, could be used to power the Fire Nation ships and other machinery. 

He tried not to feel too bad about invading the cold land, after all, the South Pole was a colony of the Fire Nation, and he had all the rights to pursue his goals. Yet as the ice creaked and snapped, it sent shivers down Tony's spine, ones that had nothing to do with the cold. This land didn't truly belong to the Fire Nation, and Tony was disturbing something that wasn't meant to be touched. 

Yet he steeled his brown eyes against the wind, his mouth in a thin line, and he watched the endless white horizon. Those resources wouldn't help anyone if they remained buried underneath the ice.

A soft sound caught Tony's attention, a sound he knew too well. He flicked his gaze back on deck, and was welcomed by the sight of Dummy, his pet turtle duck, waddling towards him in his little winter coat expertly tailored for the bird. Tony crouched and settled his glass on deck, opening his arms, and Dummy crawled right into his embrace, sticking his neck into the crook of Tony's elbow and quacking silently.

"What are you doing all the way out here, Dum Dum? Did you miss me?" he asked the bird, scratching a spot where the turtle duck's feathers disappeared underneath the turtle shell. Dummy didn't respond, of course, but continued digging further into Tony's arms.

"It's so cold, who let you out here, huh? Was it Jarvis? I bet it was Jarvis," Tony mused, shaking his head, and when he glanced to the door that led below deck, he saw that it was wide open. Maybe Tony was the one who forgot to shut it. He grabbed his forgotten glass and made his way to return Dummy to his safe, warm room, complete with a pond, when Dummy twisted in his arms and pawed at Tony's face. Surprised, Tony almost let go of the animal, dropping his drink, but Dummy settled back down, except for the loud quacks that indicated that something had irritated him.

"What is it?" Tony asked, avoiding the spilt wine, and followed the turtle duck's gaze, up and ahead. Right in the path of their ship towered an enormous iceberg, even taller than their ship. And they were sailing right towards it.

Gripped by his mechanic's instincts, Tony snapped his gaze to the ship's tall chimney, steadily puffing out black smoke. No, it was too late to stop now, or change course. If they didn't want to shatter the boat into bits, they would have to meet the glacier head on. 

Tony rushed to the command center, where Happy was manning the wheel. The broad man was just about to pull the brakes, but Tony shouted to stop him.

"No, it's too late to slow down, we won't be able to stop the boat in time. Full speed ahead is the way to go, we'll cut right through it," Tony panted, clutching squirming Dummy to his chest. He was becoming more and more restless.

"But Mr. Stark-" Happy argued, visibly concerned, but Tony cut him right off.

"Just trust me! I know what I'm talking about!" he pleaded, unwanted anger worming its way to his voice. This was his forte, his element, since fate denied him the ability to master fire. He knew the ship could handle it. He knew it.

"Brace for impact, then, and pray," Happy told him and pulled on the lever to maximize power. The chimney huffed more desperately, and the ship lurched forward with newfound speed, right at the glacier.

There was no time to warn the crew, or to properly brace for the collision. The hull of the ship rammed into the iceberg with a colossal boom, rattling every bone in Tony's body. For a horrible moment, he thought he had been wrong, and that the awful sound was the plating of the ship getting torn, but he realised it was the ice that was shattering like glass. A web of cracks spread from where the ship's sharp bow impaled the glacier, enveloping the ice in a net of light.

A moment later, a deep sound followed, and the whole iceberg broke in two, revealing its light blue insides, unseen by human eyes. The ship groaned, but held fast, and Tony grinned in relief.

"Thank the Fire Lord," Happy breathed and wiped sweat off of his brow.

Just then, Dummy quacked again, this time more loudly, and Tony's grin fell from his face when he noticed something long and winding, darker blue than the rest of his surroundings. Curiosity immediately took over every self preservation instinct he had, and he tried to determine what he was seeing. 

Lodged within the heart of the iceberg, there was something swirling and mesmerizing, something calling out to Tony, calling out to be discovered. Dummy gave a soft, satisfied quack, as if in agreement with Tony's fascination.

"Stop the ship and call the crew, tell them to bring out our equipment, and my gauntlets" Tony ordered Happy, and the man immediately obliged, the ship drawing to a screeching halt.

Tony didn't pay him any more attention - all of it had been captured by the thing in the ice. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't determine what it was. He had to know.

Soon enough, the entire crew came out on deck, carrying various tools, grappling hooks and flamethrowers, drills and axes for cutting into the ice. Amongst the crew was Jarvis, Tony's elderly servant, whom he valued deeply. He trusted the man completely, and handed him Dummy, in exchange for Tony's special gauntlets.

"Take him to his room, Jarvis, we've got work to do and this is no place for little turtle ducks," Tony said, barely hiding the excitement in his voice. Jarvis just smiled warmly and went below deck with Tony's pet, where they would be both safe, if something was to happen.

The men got to work. They swung the hooks and took hold of the iceberg, pulling it closer to the ship. Once it was close enough, they took up axes to separate the piece of interest from the rest of the ice. It took a while, but with their combined effort, they managed to pull the thing on board. Once it was safely aboard, Tony once again commanded to set the boat to motion. The deck would get hot and help with the thawing of the ice. 

Tony himself strapped on his gauntlets, which allowed him to channel fire like a real fire bender could, while the rest of the crew brandished flamethrowers, one of Tony's own inventions. _In your face, dad,_ he thought as his men fired up the devices, sending a wave of flames to lick at the ice and bite at it. Tony joined in with flames of his own, and some other members of his crew used their bare hands and their innate fire bending abilities.

As they got closer to their goal, Tony noticed that the flare of the fire wasn't the only thing glowing. 

"Stop!" he shouted in alarm, turning off the gauntlets and backing away, his men doing the same. The glacier itself was glowing from within, making the ice transparent and for the first time…

Tony got a clear look.

_No,_ he thought. _No way._

In the middle of the block of ice, perfectly calm and composed, sat the body of a man, seated in a meditation pose, with a dark blue ribbon curled around him. No, not a ribbon, it was a dragon, a blue dragon with its head poised as if to protect the man from harm. The man himself was perfectly still, with his eyes wide open, glowing white with unbridled power.

Tony felt it happen before it did. The light intensified and he had to close his eyes as it blinded him, and the ice scattered in all directions, along with a gust of hot wind that immediately disappeared in the cold climate. 

When Tony regained his sight, the man was standing straight, and looking right at him. Their eyes locked briefly, but there was no recognition or emotion in the other's eyes. As quickly as the great light came, it faded away, back inside the man, who now appeared to be blond and young, dressed in a dark blue Fire Nation uniform. 

At last the light left his eyes. For a split second, Tony could see that they were blue, then they rolled back in the man's head and he collapsed. No one was fast enough to catch him, but instead of cluttering to the metal deck, he landed on the back of the dragon, which laid lifeless at their feet.

Shocked silence followed. No one dared even breathe out, let alone move. Tony staggered and made his way to the fallen man, carefully stepping over the dragon's limp tail. He shrugged off a gauntlet and pressed his ear against the man's chest. He heard a steady heartbeat pounding.

"He's alive!" Tony declared, even though he would have known it either way. Of course he was alive.

The Avatar had returned to the world.

* * *

It was cold in the South Pole, even for the Avatar. Tony still couldn't believe it, even as he ordered his men to bring the Avatar - and his dragon - below deck, where they could get warm and dry. Thankfully, the dragon's body was thin enough to fit in the door. Unfortunately, it didn't fit into the room Tony had reserved for their precious guest. The cargo hold would have to do, down near the engine, where it was hot and safe.

Once the dragon was safely transferred to the belly of the ship, Tony returned to the Avatar. Jarvis had been tending to him, stripping him of his old, outdated uniform, and giving him new, dry clothes. When Tony came inside the room, the Avatar was sprawled across the bed beneath a blanket, still as if he was dead. And yet, Tony knew that the opposite was true.

Jarvis was seated on a chair beside the bed. He lifted his wrinkled hand from the Avatar's forehead and looked at Tony.

"He'll be alright," Jarvis said, and Tony wasn't surprised. Of course he needn't worry about the Avatar. Jarvis averted his gaze, as if he didn't tell Tony everything, but the young noble let it slide. He nodded, and turned his gaze to a large shimmering disc propped up in the corner of the room. 

"He had it strapped to his back," Jarvis said, as he followed Tony's gaze. Tony came over to it, and picked it up. It had to be the Avatar's legendary shield, forged from the same fallen star that brought forth the power of the Tesseract. The shield was surprisingly light, cold and smooth, with a silver shine. There seemed to be an outline of a red symbol in the center of the disc, but it had been scraped off since, either weathered by use or scratched off intentionally.

"It's masterfully crafted," Tony said as he balanced the shield in his hands and held it up by the leather straps on the inner side. After he took a good, long look, he put the thing back down.

"I will stay here until the Avatar wakes up," he declared, with his back turned to Jarvis. Even without looking, Tony could feel the older man's eyebrows scrunching up.

"Master Tony, do you think it's a good idea-"

"It's not. But I'll do it," Tony stubbornly responded, turning around to face Jarvis. He loved the man, he was his father in ways Tony's real father never was. Jarvis' wrinkled face was kind, and he only wished Tony well. Tony offered to release him from the servant status and build a house for him and his wife to live in comfortably, but the old man politely refused. Looking after Tony was a job he liked and wouldn't give up. Tony urged him to retire many times, but Jarvis always stayed by his side. He really admired him for it. Not many people would willingly choose to stay around Tony.

"You should go," he told Jarvis, "it's almost time for Dummy's bath anyway, and he'll get cranky if you're not there to pamper him."

"Very well," Jarvis said at last, "I'll leave you to it, Master Tony."

With that, he walked out the door and closed it behind him. Tony was left alone in the large room, only the Avatar's sleeping form keeping him company.

The room was grand and polished, undoubtedly worthy of their treasured guest. In fact, Tony had given up his own room in favour of the Avatar. Well, the room in which he slept (or rolled around at night), since his workshop was more of his living quarters than the bedroom. A smile creeped its way on Tony's face, how would the Avatar react if he were to see the mess of Tony's real room? He wouldn't be impressed, that was for sure. 

The Great Avatar, master of all four elements, the keeper of balance in the world. Sound asleep and gone for 70 years. Oh yes, Tony had heard all about the Avatar. His old man could never stop talking about the great Avatar, and comparing his son to him. And now they were here, meeting at last. Or well, Tony was meeting the Avatar's soft snores as he continued his slumber. Almost scoffing at the man's sleeping form, Tony couldn't help but trace his eyes over the man. Despite what the stories said about the mighty Avatar, he was just a man.

He had a good build, that much could be seen even through the blanket. Past his strong shoulders was his head, with long, messy blond hair, and a touch of stubble along his jaw. The man was young, with sharp features, and he was as pale as a spirit. Or at least, he used to be. Some colour had returned to his face, now that he was warm and cozy. 

Tony took off his heavy hood, freeing his unruly dark hair, and removed his own coat. Underneath, he was wearing only his casual clothes, the red fabric blackened by spots of grease from when he worked in his workshop. Tony decided to keep up appearences, just this once, and switched his dirty vest for his Fire Nation formal wear, with intricate designs etched into the leather and golden buttons to show his status. He considered putting his special gauntlets back on, but he didn't want to appear threatening.

He sat on the edge of the bed, slumping his shoulders. He was trying to figure out what he'd say when the Avatar woke up, but a small groan ripped him from his thoughts, and he could see the blond man stirring. The movement must had alerted the sleeping Avatar to Tony's presence. 

For a while, Tony believed (and hoped) that the Avatar would go back to sleep. 

No such luck. He was greeted by a pair of pale blue eyes, cold like the depths of ice from which they came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story notes:
> 
> -a turtle duck was mandatory for this story  
> -timeline is a bit wonky but hopefully it will be clearer as the story progresses  
> -i totally made up all the physics surrounding icebreakers, glaciers, flamethrowers, and so much more
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to my physics teacher who would probably have none of that nonsense but bear with me i haven't had physics class in months.
> 
> Special thanks to my pals Moni and Marko who sort of beta read the stuff I already have and gushed about it. Plus Moni helped me with a lot of the ideas and I owe her a lot, thank you! <3


	2. The Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Updates every thursday!
> 
> Steve meets Tony and has a revelation that will change his entire world.

Steve was having a bad dream. It seemed to last for an eternity. It was cold and lifeless, and he wasn't seeing or breathing or feeling, but he knew that he was. If he was dead, surely, he would have gone to the spirit world to join his predecessors, as the new Avatar would rise from the ashes of his life force. 

So why was he floating, not on earth or in the water or in the air? Why were his limbs cold, even as living fire clinged to them and burned them? Or was it the ice burning? Was it?

The ice, the ice, the ice… Hurling from the sky. A flash of lightning and the bite of frost on his nose. Fingers buried in blue fur. The world twisting and turning, pulling them both down. Not knowing which way was up, but knowing that it wasn't their time to die. He wasn't finished, he had a task. A destiny. He had to come back.

Come back, come back, come back…

So why couldn't he?

He was stuck in a prison of his own making, made of fire and water and ice, enclosing him like a trap. A trick of the light on his closed eyelids. The calming feeling of a familiar presence, wrapped around him protectively. They would both be safe, for an eternity if need be. An entire eternity...

A ripple in the water.

For the first time since the storm, a sound that wan't deafening. His own voice, ringing in his skull like the bells of war. Pleasant warmth all over his body, but no pain. Light shining through his eyelids. A presence he vaguely felt, like he did with all living beings.

And yet… something was wrong. The presence in Steve's vicinity wasn't calm, knowing, and familiar. It was erratic, all over the place, never sitting still.

It wasn't what it was meant to be.

Steve snapped his eyes open, taking a moment to adjust to the bright light. He was greeted by warm orange tones, contrasted with bold red and deep black shades. Home or the enemy lines, something was wrong. 

"You're finally awake," a tact voice said, with a hint of awe and something Steve couldn't place. He forced his eyes to follow the voice, landing on a smiling man, his smile stretched almost unnaturally, as if he didn't know how to do it properly. The smile didn't quite reach his brown eyes.

A man… A thin man dressed in a black and red suit. With the symbol of the Fire Nation emblazoned in the center. 

The memories came surging back, and Steve felt an empty spot where something was missing. The hole quickly filled with anger, and a hint of fear. The man must had noticed the change, because his eyes widened. Before he could speak, a violent gust of wind sent him crashing into the opposing wall. Steve hadn't meant to do that, he couldn't control the air like he had a way with fire, but he didn't care at the moment.

"Nice to meet you too," the dark haired Fire Nation man rasped, collapsing against the wall. Steve ignored his words, only one thought on his mind.

"Where is he?" he demanded, making his voice boil like hot water, putting as much wrath into it as he could. He took on a defensive position, ready for striking.

The man just looked confused.

"Where is who?"

Unsatisfied by the man's lies, Steve felt fire lick at his fingertips. His long, untied hair fell into his face and swirled in the angry streams of air that blew past his face.

"You know who! I can feel his presence! Tell me where you're hiding him!" Steve growled, accusing.

"I really don't know what you're talking about!" the man pleaded, but he wasn't afraid. In fact, he seemed to be angry himself. Steve didn't care what the man's emotions were, as long as he was separated from his companion, he'd burn the man to a crisp to get an answer, consequences be damned.

"I'll ask you one last time. Where is Hoshi?" he demanded, and just as the man was about to argue back, the whole place shook, the metal around them creaking in protest. Through the mechanical whirring and hissing of steam, Steve could hear an unmistakable roar. 

"Hoshi!" he yelled, hoping that his companion would hear him and come to his aid. If not, then he'd go and help Hoshi instead, taking on the entire Fire Nation if they stood in his way.

Finally, the man from the Fire Nation looked enlightened, and quickly got to his feet with his arms raised in surrender.

"How could I have been so stupid?" he asked himself, shaking his head, "of course the Avatar would want to know about his dragon. Look, I know how this looks, but we're not your enemies. Your dragon is fine, and if you promise not to wreck the place, I'll take you to him. What do you say?"

Steve narrowed his eyes, wondering if it was a trick of some sort. The dark-haired man was dressed like a Fire Nation noble, and the whole place was decorated as such. Where even were they, with all this metal around them? Maybe underground? The Fire Nation would have an easier time defeating Steve that way. But why did he wake up in a grand room, and not chained in a prison cell? Why would he wake up at all? It didn't make any sense. For the time being, Steve decided to give the benefit of the doubt. He nodded at the man curtly, and released his fighting stance. Out of the corner of his eye, Steve spotted his trusty shield propped up in the corner. He took it in one hand and slipped it on his back, the familiar weight calming him. Only then did he turn back to his company.

"Take me to Hoshi," he ordered, still wary, and the smaller man slipped past him to the doorway and opened it.

"Follow me, and don't pay attention to anyone you see," the man said, and Steve did as he was told. 

They passed multiple doorways and people, all dressed in reds and blacks of the Fire Nation garb, and Steve did his best to ignore their stares. Instead, he focused on the metal corridors, as they descended deeper.

"What is this place? And who are you?" he asked, when pipes started protruding from the ground and snaking along the corridor, all heading in the direction they were walking. The man's back was turned to him, but Steve could see that he wasn't nearly as tense as earlier. His dark hair was short and choppy, sticking in all directions, unlike the Fire Nation style Steve knew.

"We're on a ship," he said, gesturing at the hot pipes, "and my name is Anthony Stark."

That made Steve stop in his tracks. "Stark?" he questioned, but before he could get an answer, the whole ship shook again, this time louder, followed by a roar that sounded much closer.

"Hoshi," Steve breathed, and rushed past the man named Stark, going in the direction of Hoshi's roar. Soon enough, the corridor expanded into a circular room, where a huge black machine was whirring and huffing out steam in a regular rhythm. Coiled at the base of it was Hoshi, snarling at the men surrounding him, some of them holding strange looking devices pointed at the dragon.

Steve didn't even have the time to be angry, he hurried into the room with another call of "Hoshi!" as he ran to his dragon. Hoshi recognised him immediately, baring his teeth in a smile, and Steve met him halfway across the room, smacking his arms around the dragon's head.

"It's alright, we're together," he mumbled as he threaded his fingers through Hoshi's fur. For the first time since waking up in this strange place, Steve felt whole.

True to Stark's word, Hoshi was unharmed, just a bit agitated, much like Steve. The Avatar tore his gaze away from his animal guide, and turned to the men surrounding them. They didn't look threatening, except for those strange devices some of them were holding. When Stark walked through the corridor a moment later, they pointed them at the ground.

"What are those?" Steve asked, flicking his gaze to the cannon-shaped things.

Stark's eyes lit up in the dark, "Those, Avatar, are my brand new flamethrowers!"

"Flamethrowers?" Steve asked, trying to catalogue the word, but coming up with nothing. Was this some new Fire Nation invention that had been kept secret?

"Allow me to demonstrate, these babies found their rightful place in the Fire Nation army," Stark said as he took one of the flamethrowers from his men, turned the barrel of it upward, and pressed a button on its side. The device whirred to life and lashed out flames, almost like a fire bender would. It wasn't just an invention, it was a weapon. And they had had those things pointed at Hoshi earlier.

"You invented those?" Steve asked darkly, remembering how Stark referred to them as "his" flamethrowers. 

Stark's gaze darkened too. "Is there a problem with that, Avatar?"

Steve was ticked off by many things, one of them being the use of his title in the place of his name. Stark didn't even ask him for his given name. 

"Yes, there is a problem," he snapped back, pointing at Stark accusingly, "You said you weren't my enemy, yet you create weapons for the Fire Nation? We are at war!" he raised his voice, Hoshi growling in support, and everyone around them quivered in fear.

Everyone except Stark, whose expression of anger was replaced by one of surprise, then something akin to sadness.

"There is a lot you don't know," he said softly, it was hard to hear him over the sounds of the engine.

"Then tell me! Where and how did you find me? How many days have passed? Did the enemy lose the Tesseract like we planned? Is Fire Lord Johann still pushing the Alliance out of the Earth Kingdom?" 

With each question, Stark appeared more and more worried. At last, he ran a hand through his hair, clearly unsettled.

"Look, it's complicated. I'm probably the worst person to explain this to you, but what gives. You better sit down for this, it's a long story," Stark said, and chuckled at his last sentence almost unconsciously.

"What's so funny? Enlighten me, Stark," Steve demanded, and the man's face hardened once more.

"Come on, let's not talk about this down here. I can barely hear you half of the time," Stark said, and Steve had to give him that. He glanced back at Hoshi. Steve's right hand never left the dragon's snout.

"Your dragon is safe down here, Avatar. I swear that no harm will come to him."

"His name is Hoshi," Steve said, "and mine is Steve." 

Stark nodded sharply, "I know. Come with me, Avatar Steve."

* * *

They made it back to the room Steve had woken up in. The decor still made him uncomfortable, but he let it slide. Maybe Stark and his crew were defecting from the Fire Nation? Many questions swirled in Steve's mind, but he held his tongue, eager to learn what was happening. 

Stark sat down on the bed and patted a spot beside him. Steve settled down on the big bed and brushed his light hair behind his ear. The other man was rapping his knuckles against the wooden frame of the bed, fidgeting. Earlier, Steve thought he may be Howard's cousin, or some other relative, but he wasn't so sure anymore. The family resemblance was clear enough, however.

"So," Stark began after a long sigh, "a lot has happened since you disappeared. Do you have an inkling of an idea of how long it's been?"

"I thought it could have been a few days, maybe weeks. Was it months?" Steve asked, dread pooling in his stomach.

"Oh boy," Stark said in response, "this will be hard to hear. No, you weren't gone for mere months. It's been years, Avatar. Seventy, to be exact."

Steve's heart skipped a beat and leaped all the way to his throat. No, it had to be a trick of the Fire Nation. It had to be. 

"That can't be true," he stammered, "I have a duty to this world, I have to go back and fight in the war-"

"There is no war," Stark said seriously, not a hint of lie in his dark eyes. "It's been over for fifty years now."

Steve gulped, and resisted the urge to pace or straight up run from the room. It couldn't be, could it? He couldn't have been gone for seventy years.

"How… how did it end? The war?" Steve asked, dreading the answer. The fact that he woke up on a Fire Nation ship couldn't have been a coincidence.

"The Fire Nation burned out, pretty much," Stark said and chuckled humorlessly, "the Tesseract was recovered from the ocean, but it's power had been weakened. At the same time, it became too unstable, and eventually destroyed Fire Lord Johann in the middle of his conquest. Without its leader, the Nation laid down its arms. A new Fire Lord arose, Odin. He worked with the other nations for peace."

Peace. That word stuck in Steve's mind like a fishing hook, and his thoughts were scattered and fleeting. Fire Lord Johann, or rather Red Skull, was dead, but the burn marks he left on Steve's body remained, he could feel them beneath his clothes. Much like his own scars, Steve assumed the land didn't fare much better after the conquest of the Fire Nation.

"What was the cost?" he asked. "What was the cost for peace?"

"You're not stupid, I'll give you that," Stark said and Steve frowned, "Part of the deal was that each nation would give up some of its territories and resources in favour of the Fire Nation. The South Pole, The Southern Air Temples, and the southwest part of the Earth Kingdom became colonies of the Fire Nation. It's been that way ever since."

Steve still had many questions, but it was too much to think about all the pain and suffering the world went through while he was missing. He now recalled being stuck in a chunk of ice, using his remaining energy to make sure he and Hoshi would survive inside. In doing so, he had abandoned his people, and not just those he had been born to - coincidentally, the Fire Nation itself - but all of them. People of all the nations suffered for twenty years, and surely long after the war was over, too. And Steve wasn't there to keep balance, to be the Avatar and shield them. He had failed in his duty, and now he returned at last, only to see and suffer the consequences of his failure.

"Are you alright? It's a lot to take in, I admit," Stark spoke up, and that was an understatement. Steve's entire world had been ripped out from underneath his feet like a rug. No, he wasn't alright, not in the slightest bit.

"I… I abandoned you," Steve said miserably. Saying it outloud made it more real, in a sense. More true.

Stark sighed again.

"Yeah, you kind of did."

Steve wordlessly stood up, sick to the stomach, and rushed out of the room without turning back once. He considered returning to the engine and finding comfort in Hoshi, but he decided against it. He needed to be alone for this.

Besides, Steve couldn't handle being enclosed inside the ship anymore, in this reality. His reality. It felt like the walls were closing in on him, collapsing around him. He had to get out. Summoning the winds to carry him faster, his flurry of emotions fueled his erratic movements. He stumbled through the ship's insides, ignoring the occasional crew member he ran into, sometimes losing control over the air currents and slamming into the metal walls. Grunts of pain escaped him when it happened, but he pushed on until he reached stairs leading up.

With a final gust of air, the doors outside blasted open. Steve staggered on deck, exhausted and emotionally drained. 

Stark hadn't lied, they were at the South Pole as far as Steve could tell. There was nothing around the black ship except ice. Cold air bit into Steve's skin like fangs and he shivered all over. It swept his hair back, which was still flowing freely. He was only dressed in thin Fire Nation casual wear instead of his war uniform. Outside the ship, that was about as good as being naked, but he didn't care. 

He reached for his shield still attached to his back, and pulled it down to look at it. The old symbol of the Fire Nation had been removed once they declared war and Steve didn't want to associate with them. The silver sheen of the shield gave back a fractured reflection of himself. Steve felt like his reflection looked, shattered and incohesive, just a bland mirror of what he used to be. It was as if he was still suspended in the ice. Just a relic to hang on the wall, displayed for everyone to see, but untouched and undisturbed.

Left alone in the dark, forgotten.

He sat on the deck, which was hot from the constant motion of the ship, but it wasn't enough to ward off the cold. Instead of returning back below deck, Steve welcomed it.

He couldn't help but feel like he deserved it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story notes:
> 
> -Hoshi means "star" in Japanese  
> -first flamethrowers were invented by the Greeks in the 1st century AD, how crazy is that?? In modern times, they were widely used in both world wars


	3. A Storm Approaching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony mulls things over, and complications arise.

Tony stayed on his spot while the Avatar rushed out with a wave of air in his wake. He almost felt bad for the guy, with the heartbroken expression that crossed his face. The long stewing loathing Tony held for the Avatar bubbled beneath the surface, but he refrained from being too cold towards the man. He may had been righteous and incredibly impulsive from what he'd seen, but Tony had to admit he had been through a lot.

The thought of following him crossed his mind, but he dropped it as quickly as it came. If the Avatar wanted to be alone, he'd let him. It was none of his business anyway. Instead, Tony headed to the door on the left side of his bedroom, connecting his quarters to the room next to his - Dummy's suite. He twisted the golden handle and was greeted by the sight of his treasured pet having a bubble bath, with Jarvis sitting by the artificial heated pond and massaging fragrant oils into the turtle duck's feathers.

"Hey, you two," Tony said as he entered, softly closing the door behind him. He finally let a genuine smile split his face.

"Master Tony," Jarvis greeted him, and gave him a pointed look, but Tony shook his head. He knew what Jarvis wanted to talk about (the elephant mandril in the room, or rather, the dragon in the boat), but Tony wasn't in the mood to discuss it. Jarvis knew him well enough to drop it, and Tony sat beside him.

"Is Dummy enjoying his bath?" Tony asked with a smile, and Jarvis chuckled as he poured warm water on Dummy's turtle shell.

"Judge for yourself, Master Tony," he said, and Dummy chose that moment to close his eyes in delight and ruffle his feathers, fluffing his neck to twice its size. Tony pet him on the head and Dummy quacked happily.

"Well, he's got the best caretaker in the entire Fire Nation, speaking from experience," Tony said, and Jarvis smiled in gratitude, his old eyes bright like little stars.

"I had a lot of practice," Jarvis replied, and gripped Tony's shoulder with a gentle squeeze. Tony let him, he was one of the few people whose touch he actively seeked out.

"Your hand is wet," Tony complained, but placed his own hand on top of Jarvis'. 

"It doesn't matter to you, does it?" Jarvis asked, already knowing the answer.

"No, it doesn't," Tony said, watching as Dummy tried to eat a bubble and it popped in his beak. 

They stayed like that in relative silence, only interrupted by Dummy's splashing. 

"How are you feeling, Tony?" Jarvis asked after a while, and Tony was surprised he dropped the "master" title he usually used when he addressed him. Jarvis' grey eyes and wrinkled face were honest, like always.

"I don't want to talk about it, Jarvis," Tony stubbornly responded. He tried not to think about their guest if he could help it. It made it easier to resist banging his head against the wall. 

"You can't keep running from your feelings forever, and certainly not him, now that he's on your ship," Jarvis said softly. 

Tony wanted to argue, but settled for honesty: "I guess it still hasn't sunken in. All my life, I have been compared to him. He made me feel small, and worthless, and… he made me feel like a disappointment."

"Who?" Jarvis questioned, "The Avatar, or your father?"

Tony let out a hiss of air. He knew Jarvis was trying to help him, hell, he knew he was right. He had only known the Avatar through the lense of Howard Stark, a pink-tinted lense painting a pretty picture. How could Tony ever live up to the legend? How could he, when he wasn't even bestowed with the gift of bending? 

"I don't know, Jarvis," Tony said bitterly, rolling his thoughts around in his mind like clouds. "My father was a lot of things, full of shit being one of them, but there's a reason I let Pepper run Stark Corp in my stead."

"There is a reason it was you that found him, Tony," Jarvis told him as he squeezed his hand. Tony looked at his palms, rough and callous from work with machinery. Tony didn't believe in destiny. He believed in hard work, in reaping what one sows. It wasn't fair that life gave some people what it denied others, but life wasn't fair, and Tony was one of the lucky ones still. He had been born to wealth and heritage, while others begged every day for something they could eat. He had no right to complain, and yet here he was, upset because his daddy didn't love him. Thinking about his late father opened old wounds Tony welded together with his tireless labour and sleepless nights. Inventions were something Tony understood, sometimes more than people. They were something he could get lost in, forgetting everything else. If he was a candle, he'd be burning from both ends, but with a strong glow that almost made it worth it. Almost…

He did what he always did when he had too many painful thoughts plaguing him.

"Well, I'll be heading to the workshop," Tony declared, "I have some new blueprints I need to go over, some things to test. Dummy can take the bed once he dries, I'm sure our guest won't mind."

"Alright, Master Tony," Jarvis said, not pushing the topic any further. Either way, only a heartless person would have a problem with Dummy taking a nap in their bed. Tossing the turtle duck some bread from a bowl, Tony returned to the bedroom and opened the door far on the other side, leading to his workshop.

That was where he truly felt at home. He fashioned it after his bigger workshop back home. Not his childhood home in the Fire Nation Capital, but his house that he shared with Pepper on Ember Island. Tony found himself missing Pepper, even if it had been only a week since he departed from Ember Island. Their home was grand, sure, but it was nowhere near the magnificence of the three-story mansion Stark family owned on the main island. The house Tony grew up in. The place was almost haunted. It held too many memories, and since Tony's parents had passed in a freak accident involving tundra tanks, Tony couldn't bear to live there anymore. He still owned the mansion, but he hadn't set a foot there in almost five years. It had been too long since he'd been to the Capital. Since the mission for resources was interrupted, he might aswell set sail for the great city, if only to eat up all the glory for finding an ancient relic down under.

Tony's main desk was messy, full of tools of all sorts and shapes, some of them slick with oil, others blackened from the forge. Pipes that shouldn't be showing on a regular ship bulged from the wall like veins, providing heat and steam if Tony needed it. Of course, it was no regular ship. For the many years Tony had had it, he systematically upgraded and improved it. The hull was reinforced with a special steel alloy Tony had concocted, making the body of the boat stronger than any ship of the navy. The engine worked faster and more efficiently than ships much larger than this one. And while it was smaller than most, it had many suites, and even a hot tub. What kind of ship has a hot tub? That's right, Tony freaking Stark's.

The ship wasn't always his, no. And he didn't exactly steal it. Tony preferred the term, taken without explicit permission. It had belonged to his "uncle" Obadiah once, but Obie lost all his uncle privileges when he attempted to take over Stark Corp and have Tony killed. That was a painful story (both literally and figuratively), and Tony was reminded of it by his little souvenir… lodged in his chest. That made showers awkward. Atleast it usually remained hidden underneath his clothes.

When Tony shrugged off the formal jacket to get to work, he could catch a glimpse of the blue glow shining through his linen shirt. He quickly covered it by one of his old vests that had seen better days. Out of sight, out of mind, that was the motto Tony went by. It would probably blow up in his face eventually, but he couldn't care less as he zipped the vest all the way up, even if it made him feel too much of the heat.

Tony diverted his gaze to his cabinet, which was full to the brim with scrolls, where he scribbled down all his ideas and plans. Jarvis often complained that there was no order to it, but Tony never had any trouble finding exactly what he needed. Well, sometimes he did, but those times he threw everything on the ground and erratically searched scroll after scroll until he found what he was looking for. It was a mess, but it had a system to it. Kind of like Tony himself. 

He looked through the 'Recent' drawer, shuffled some things around, and came across an old scroll that had no business being there. Naturally, he pulled it out and unrolled the parchment.

They were blueprints for one of Tony's oldest projects; a flying suit. Flying was one of Tony's childhood dreams, often tied with the vision of knowing a dragon that could teach him fire bending. He could walk, swim, and he even invented gauntlets that could create fire, but he couldn't figure out a way to make himself fly. It wasn't like he could ask an air bender, since they left the Southern Air Temples after being colonized (touché). He had to figure it out himself, which wasn't an easy task.

For starters, there wasn't any simple way to make the suit light. If it was based merely on physics, he couldn't use any heavy materials, like his favourite iron, but he couldn't simulate flight without an engine either. It was a paradox, one he tried to side step many times. Another issue was the engine itself, he had yet to figure out how to make it small enough for a person to lift, let alone fly with.

The project seemed unachievable, but Tony kept coming back to it. He was almost certain that if he threw the scroll out, he'd find it at the foot of his bed the next day.

Tony had more urgent projects, like the work in progress that were cars. It was an important assignment for Tony's company Stark Corp, and it was still in early development. So he set the old personal scroll aside, and tried to improve the newer business idea instead. He tried tackling it from different angles, but each time he sketched or looked at the plans for the car, his mind wandered back to his pet project. In the end, he got the brilliant idea for the ultimate invention - a flying car - and that was when he gave in and unrolled the scroll for the suit once more.

He worked through different metals he had on hand, none of them being ideal. He drew new blueprints for smaller engines, and he did make some progress on the construction. He even came up with the idea to make boots similar to his gauntlets, but instead of fire, they'd blow air and help the suit keep in the air.

Tony lost himself in his work for hours, forgetting about the time. The mechanical sounds of the engine were soothing, and combined with the warmth in the workshop, Tony's eyelids started to droop.

He didn't even notice when he laid his head on the desk and dozed off.

* * *

When Tony woke up, the first thing he registered was a sweet, pleasant scent. He sniffed, and a gentle hand landed on his back, slightly shaking him. He was uncomfortable in his position, so he shifted, realizing that he had fallen asleep on his work desk. Hopefully his face, pressed into the wood, wouldn't be covered in ink when he unstuck his cheek from the desk.

"Jarvis?" Tony asked as he yawned and rolled his shoulders. He got a bad crick in his neck, and something else he didn't quite grasp ticked him off.  _ That's what you get for falling asleep sitting, _ he thought, and groaned as he strained to ease the pain.

"I brewed some tea, Master Tony, your favourite," Jarvis said, indeed present. Tony perked up at that, identifying the scent as freshly made peppermint tea, still hot. He liked it so much because it reminded him of Pepper, of her smile. The sweet aroma spread across the entire workshop, overpowering the persistent scent of grease and oil.

"Thank you," Tony said as he straightened and took a steaming cup from the tray Jarvis had brought. He sipped at it carefully, noting that it was sweet, just as he liked it. Jarvis knew him too well.

"Sleeping outside of your own bed again?" Jarvis mused as he swirled his own cup of tea with a silver spoon. 

"Hey, not my fault this time, it's occupied," Tony yawned, missing how Jarvis raised his eyebrows. "What time is it anyway?" Tony glanced at the clock, but it was broken, like fifty percent of the time. He would have to fix it again. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt like the clock wasn't the only thing broken.

"Three in the morning, if I'm not mistaken."

"Jarvis, you shouldn't have been up because of me," Tony reasoned, but Jarvis just smiled. He still didn't drink his tea, which was scalding, but Tony himself couldn't resist sipping even if it burned his tongue.

"It's quite alright. It's not an inconvenience for me. You should really go to sleep, and properly this time," Jarvis said. Tony sighed and moved to stand up, when he finally realized what had been keeping him on edge.

"The engine," he breathed, and listened closely to the familiar hum of the ship. Tony cursed himself for not noticing it sooner, but the regular, faint ticking that Tony knew so well was incorrect. 

"What about it?" 

"Something's wrong. I need to check it out, ideally right now. Might be just a screw loose, but you never know. Gotta make sure everything is intact."

"Your tea will get cold," Jarvis sighed, "but if it's that urgent, off you go. Don't hit your head on the pipes." The old man had a mischievous smile, as if he knew something Tony didn't.

"That was one time, Jarvis! One time!"

The old man just shrugged, and instead of making a remark, he drank his tea. Tony shook his head, and grabbing his tool box and spare gauntlets, exited the room out to the hallway.

As he passed by the row of doors, he heard faint scratching. Glancing back, he noticed it came from Dummy's room. 

Tony opened the door a notch, and sure enough, Dummy's little head poked through the crevice.

"You should be asleep too," Tony chided, but let the turtle duck out.

"You want to come with me?" he asked, and Dummy chirped, so Tony let him waddle after him. For a turtle duck, Dummy could be very nimble and fast, especially if someone had bread on them. They descended together into the engine room, which was always alight, as long as the engine was alive. Coiled like a spring, the Avatar's dragon Hoshi was asleep near the machine, his tail wrapped around some of the pipes. Dummy took interest in the dragon, inching closer, but ready to disappear inside his protective shell on a whim.

Tony took a moment to admire the beast, and the way his glistening blue scales transformed into lighter feathery fur, aswell as red plumes of hair growing from the sides of his face. The dragon's long whiskers twitched, but he didn't wake as Tony walked past him. That was good, in a way, because truth be told, Tony had no idea how the Avatar's companion would react to him being down there. A jealous part of Tony flared up, for he had always wanted to meet a dragon, in hopes that they could teach him how to fire bend, but the day before was the first time he had ever come face to face with one - the Avatar's dragon, no less. Just another thing he had that Tony didn't.

Banishing those bitter thoughts, Tony directed his attention to the engine. It looked alright, but he would have to examine it closer, and try to find something out of place. The huffing of the engine was much louder down there, and the imperfection was that much clearer.

Just as he was about to tighten a screw that looked wiggly, a voice startled him: "What are you doing?"

For a split second, Tony thought the dragon had learnt how to talk. He dropped his wrench and quickly twisted around, almost breaking his spine as he did so. Hoshi's head was raised now (and Dummy hid in his shell), but he wasn't the only one there. Seated on one of the loops of his winding body was the Avatar himself, regarding Tony with those blue eyes of his. Steve.

"By the Fire Lord, you scared me," Tony said as he hastily picked up the wrench, "Why are you here? My room not good enough for you?"

A flash of hurt crossed the man's face, and he looked sheepish. He had just woken up, if his bleary eyes and messy hair were any indication.

"Not at all," he said, "but I couldn't sleep there, all alone… Thank you for your hospitality, I didn't mean any offense."

His voice was flat as he said it, as if he was reciting a verse from a book. Tony wasn't fooled for one second.  _ What an ungrateful prick, _ Tony's thoughts supplied, and he wrestled with the accusation.

"None taken," Tony said in the same dismissive tone, and turned his back on the Avatar. 

There was a rich pause.

"Your servant Jarvis is very kind," came from behind Tony's shoulder, and it suddenly all made sense - Jarvis knew the bedroom was empty. "He found me up on the deck and led me down here. This place is a bit of a maze, truth be told."

"Why were you on deck? Thinking of ditching us?" Tony asked absentmindedly as he searched around the engine.

"What's the matter with you? Where would I even go?" the Avatar snapped. "No, I just needed to be alone, and take it all in. It hasn't been exactly easy for me."

"Sorry, I can be pretty brash sometimes," Tony admitted, still not turning around.

"I've noticed. Don't worry about it," was all the Avatar said, sounding honest, and Tony shrugged. 

He was becoming frustrated, because he still couldn't figure out what was wrong. The Avatar's eyes undoubtedly burning holes into his back weren't exactly helping either.

"So, what are you doing?" the Avatar asked again, and Tony turned to face him.

"Engine's acting up, it sounds off, and maybe I would have solved it by now, if someone didn't keep interrupting me," Tony said and put his hands on his hips. The other man cast his eyes down and picked at his nail. Dummy approached him now, cautiously, and the Avatar looked like he wanted to pet him.

"Sorry," he said, "maybe I can help you with that."

"I don't need your-"

But he was already leaning down to his dragon, whispering something in his ear. Hoshi was listening, then growled and looked like a little child having a meltdown in the marketplace. The Avatar hardened his gaze, and begrudgingly, the dragon unwrapped his tail from the pipes. A cloud of steam rose from that spot, and when it cleared, Tony could see that some of the ventils were turned at the wrong angle.

"You knew?" he asked the Avatar, who just shrugged. Dummy, that traitor, pressed his hand into the man's outstretched palm and he smiled.

"I had a hunch. I told Hoshi not to mess around with things we didn't understand, but he liked the heat. It helps him sleep better."

"Well, next time, sing him a lullaby, or something," Tony shook his head, as Dummy tapped his foot against the floor in content when the Avatar scratched his chin. Walking past them, Tony went over to the affected pipes. The pressure ventil was turned all wrong, so he corrected it. The effect was immediate, as the strain in the pipe lessened. Once again, the sound returned to its normal tones and frequency.

"If it means anything to you, this ship is incredible. I have never seen one so… intricate," Steve said then, as if to offer an olive branch. Tony decided to take it.

"That's what almost a century of advancement does to you. Wait till you see the cars my company is working on."

"Cars? Your company?"

"Stark Corp. Family business. And cars are a form of land transportation, still in early development," Tony explained. 

"I'll keep an eye out for them, then," Steve said, then looked Tony up and down. "You don't happen to be related to Howard Stark, do you?"

That was the wrong thing to say. All the repressed feelings that had been loosening wound up tight around Tony's heart again. Just like that, the conversation grew ice cold once more. Dummy, sensing the change, skittered to Tony's feet and rubbed his head against his feet.

"He was my father," Tony said, the tone of his voice not leaving any space for further questions.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" 

"Save it, I don't want your pity," Tony snapped.

"It's just… I knew him," Steve, no, the Avatar said, and his dragon growled mournfully. 

"I know. He only reminded me every day, no biggie."

"Is he...?"

"He died a few years ago."

"Oh… I'm-"

"Sorry, yeah, I know, you can stop apologising now, it won't help anyone."

With that, Tony leaned to pick up Dummy, and held him in his arms. Tony's walls stood high and impenetrable, like the turtle duck's shell. He wasn't about to lower them for a pity party with his dad's dream boyfriend, or whatever their relationship had been. Looking back at the way Howard talked about the Avatar, sometimes it sure sounded like he was in love with the man. So far, Tony couldn't say he was impressed. He had yet to see the awesome feats the Avatar should be capable of.

"What else do you invent? What are those?" the Avatar changed the subject (smart), and pointed at Tony's gauntlets.

"These? They're my gauntlets. They can channel a stream of fire. Works like a charm," Tony placed Dummy on the ground and pulled one on, and by stretching out his fingers, fire erupted in the middle of his palm. When he glanced up, both the Avatar and his dragon were almost hypnotized by the flame, their eyes glowing in tandem.

"So you're a fire bender? So am I, originally," the blond man said eagerly. Tony closed his fist as if the fire had burned him. That was another sore spot hit for the bingo.

"No, I am not a bender," Tony hissed, "Just another reason my good old dad was so disappointed in me."

The Avatar opened his mouth, probably to apologize again, but thought better of it.

"Why is it so difficult to talk to you?" he asked as he cradled his head in his hands. "I keep saying everything wrong."

"Stop asking questions about my personal life, and I won't ask about yours either, because frankly, I've heard about you enough to last a lifetime. Maybe then we could coexist in mutual ignorance," Tony offered.

"Fine, maybe we shouldn't talk to each other at all!" the Avatar snapped, finally succumbing to anger. Tony glared at him, and he glared right back. Neither man was willing to back down.

"Maybe you're right," Tony said cooly, and hastily picked up his toolbox as loudly as he could, making it clear that he was leaving. Dummy startled, but followed Tony without hesitation.

Just as Tony was about to leave, Hoshi let out an ominous growl. Tony glanced back in time to witness the Avatar with his eyes closed, pressing his forehead to Hoshi's, as if they were communicating telepathically.

"What am I looking at?" Tony asked, and the Avatar snapped from his trance. The fight left his eyes, and now he just looked worried.

"Hoshi senses a storm coming," the Avatar said in a grave tone, "a pretty damn big one."

As if on cue, the whole ship trembled ever so slightly. It was a minor tremor, but if this was just the beginning of the storm, they were in for a wild ride. 

"We could take port somewhere, and wait it out," the Avatar said hopefully, so Tony took pleasure in disagreeing. He had a good ship, one that he made even better, and he'd be damned if it couldn't survive one little storm.

"No. We ride the storm head on. The ship can handle it," Tony declared, rushing to get on deck and give new orders to his crew. He stopped in the doorway, turning back one last time.

"Besides, the mighty Avatar is among us. Surely if push comes to shove, you'll put your water bending skills to good use," Tony added and turned on his heel, missing the Avatar's panicked expression that crossed his face like a shadow.

Oh yes, they were in for a treat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story notes:  
> -taking liberties with just about everything in this story lol  
> -aand that's it for notes for now because i'm really busy and literally posting this right before midnight oof
> 
> Thank you for reading <3 as always, kudos, bookmarks and comments are greatly appreciated!


	4. Thunder and Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm arrives and with it, the height of the conflict.
> 
> (I promise that Steve's and Tony's relationship gets better from this point)
> 
> Sidenote: i messed up the day of posting, physically posted chapter 4 on the 17th but i guess the date was that of last week. So I am moving the date a bit oof.

They were in so much trouble. 

Steve didn't know how much time they had before the storm would hit, but the winds were strong and the hull of the ship trembled as if in anticipation of something grim. Besides, Steve had his own share of experience with storms. A really, really bad one. He didn't recall too much from... _ the _ storm, but he could already hear his heart pounding in his chest in alarm. 

He couldn't do that again, especially not so soon. Afterall, for him, it had only been a day since the thunderstorm that brought him and Hoshi into this new age. Not to mention his training was far from finished and he had never had the time to start learning water or earth bending. The war made sure of that. But there was no war now. Hadn't been for fifty years. Steve was lost and confused, with grief nicking its way into his mind, but for the time being, it was replaced with unease, and a feeling he often denied: fear. 

Sensing his distress, Hoshi pushed his snout into Steve's palm, and Steve trailed his fingers along Hoshi's furry eye brow. The dragon whined, not being fond of storms either. 

Steve would love to wait out the storm down there, but the ship and everyone on it was in danger, damn what Stark had to say about the safety and integrity of his ship. By not seeking a harbour, he may have doomed himself and his entire crew.

A wave of vile anger swept over Steve. Who did he think he was, disregarding their lives like that? Stark was a complicated man, and he rubbed Steve the wrong way. The fact that Stark despised him before he had even met him sure didn't help Steve be civil with the mechanic. And yet… he couldn't help but feel sympathy, even if it was mixed with anger and hurt over the man's behaviour. 

He swallowed his pride, now wasn't the time to feel angry. He'd do everything in his power to help out, and he had to calm down if his bending was to be of any use. 

Stashed neatly in the back of the engine room was Steve's old uniform, his shield, and a single flame-shaped hair pin, kindly offered to Steve by Stark's servant Jarvis. Steve had lost his old one in the mad flight he took seventy years ago. Even back then, he only wore it as was custom, not because he particularly liked it, or long hair for that matter. It was harder to maintain than short hair and surprisingly flammable (which Steve, as a fire bender, discovered the hard way).

There used to be one advantage, however. When Steve let his hair down, Peggy used to play with it and braid it, and even if he grumbled about it, he secretly enjoyed it. The sudden memory of her fingers trailing through his hair hit Steve like a sharp knife. The last time he had seen her face was right before he did the dumbest, bravest, and most reckless thing in his relatively short life - he stole the Tesseract from the royal palace (which, as one could imagine, did not bode with the Fire Lord very well). He did it to save lives, and Peggy had believed in him like no one else had, maybe with the exception of Bucky, and Steve's mother Sarah. His mother had died when he was still a kid, and Steve had no idea what happened to Peggy or Bucky after his suicidal mission that landed him in the future instead of the Spirit World. It all happened so quickly and Steve didn't know where the two of them were now. If they were still alive. Thinking of them proved to be too painful, so Steve banished those thoughts for the time being and focused on the task on hand.

Steve was the Avatar, first and foremost, so he pushed his feelings somewhere deep down and took a long breath. It was his duty to protect the world, and he had already failed once. He was afraid he could fail again. But he wouldn't. He'd never forgive himself if he did.

He took the golden hair pin and messily tried to make a top-knot. It wasn't perfect, as loose strands of hair still stubbornly brushed past Steve's cheek, but it would have to do. It was better than having to endure his unruly hair constantly falling in his eyes.

Next was his shield, a circular silver disc that once bore the proud colors of the Fire Nation. When Steve was a child, he used to love to play disc toss with Bucky and some of the stray kids, never missing his mark. It was one of the only things his young self was good at, and once he figured out fire bending, he taught himself to toss rings of fire just like in the children's game. Unfortunately, Bucky couldn't play that version, as he never was a bender. A few years into his training, Steve was bestowed his shield, gifted to him by none other than young Howard Stark. The metal was unlike any other he had ever seen. It was incredibly strong, light, and didn't soak up heat from fire. It had sharp edges and could be thrown, even flying back at the right angle, kind of like Peggy's boomerang. It could be (unsurprisingly) used as a shield, too, and there was nothing it couldn't protect Steve from.

Except time and storms, it would seem, so Steve only brushed his fingers over the silver surface and decided to leave it under deck.

He then looked to his war uniform, perfectly preserved, if outdated, compared to the armor some men on the ship were wearing. It had been cleaned by Jarvis, for which Steve was grateful. The rebellious blue coloration, unusual for Fire Nation fashion, remained as the signature of Steve's uprising against the old Fire Lord Johann. White five-pointed star shone in the middle of the chest piece - one point for each nation and the fifth one for the Avatar. 

Steve was glad he still had it with him, and he slipped on the torso over his clothes, if not anything else. It helped him reclaim another piece of him that had been lost in those seventy years. He fastened the straps that held the plates of the armor together. He glanced at his companion, who patiently waited like a coiled spring until Steve was finished dressing up.

"Come on, boy," Steve said when he was done. He climbed on Hoshi, the action feeling natural as he swung his leg across the dragon's broad back, settling behind Hoshi's shoulders, just before the spot where his wings erupted. There was no saddle necessary, it would only hinder them and their spiritual connection. Seated on Hoshi's back in his uniform, for the first time since waking up, Steve truly felt like himself again. 

"Let's have a rematch with the weather," he declared and clicked his tongue like he was taught by the fire bending masters when he first bonded with the dragon. Immediately, Hoshi reared onto his feet and ran along the room to the corridor with the pipes that supplied the ship with fuel and hot air like veins.

"Up we go," Steve clarified when Hoshi hesitated at a crossroad, and Steve tapped his right shoulder to point him in the correct direction. Growling in appreciation, Hoshi followed the right path. The ceiling became consistently lower, to the point where Steve had to press himself flat against Hoshi's back. Based on the calculations Steve had made earlier, all of the ship's innards should be big enough for Hoshi. Sure enough, the corridor remained wide and comfortable for Hoshi to fit through, although fast movements and maenouvering were out of the question. 

They encountered only one man along the way, who promptly retreated back into his cabin, white in the face, as the barreling dragon approached him. Not that Steve blamed him, Hoshi could be pretty intimidating sometimes. Especially when he ran at you, tongue and fangs out, a sly glint of determination in his yellow eyes.

They took a sharp turn, dashed up some stairs, and Steve couldn't help but admire how Hoshi's long body swirled in the narrow corridors like a ribbon, never once crashing his head or tail against the walls.

They made it to the top, the door to the deck wide open, showing the night sky. Hoshi sped up and shot out of the ship like a blast of fire. He spread his wings as he did so and launched into the air, finally able to stretch them after his long slumber. The dragon's rise was accompanied by shouts of surprise from the deck. Steve felt Hoshi's joy over their connection, and he himself relished the feeling of wind in his face once more. He allowed Hoshi the freedom to circle around the ship once, twice, before landing on the roof of the command room and curling around the ship's chimney. It was just starting to rain, and dark black clouds were blocking out the stars and gathering far on the horizon.

Hoshi let his tail drop down to the deck, and Steve slipped along it like a rope and landed on the metal deck with grace, not even bothering to bend the air to soften his landing. He brushed his whipping hair behind his ear and was met with dead silence.

Stark's jaw was practically on the floor, his eyes switching between Steve and Hoshi like the arm of a compass. If his hands stuck in a waving motion were any indication, he was in the middle of giving orders to his crew, gathered in a straight line, and he literally stopped mid sentence. 

Steve approached the group - seemingly almost the entire crew of the ship, counting only around ten men, plus Stark and Jarvis. Most of the men looked tired and only barely keeping it together, as they were probably pulled right out of their beds. Steve grounded to a halt on one edge of the line up, everyone's eyes practically glued to him. Stark looked like he was struggling to form words, but failed.

"Are you always this dramatic?" he asked at last, stray bits of awe disappearing from his eyes and his expression was replaced by an impassive mask. But Steve wasn't fooled, and allowed himself a sheepish smile.

"Blame Hoshi, not me. He had been stuck down there for too long," Steve said, and Hoshi snorted from his perch on the chimney. He was barely visible, only his silhouette stood out against the dark sky.

"So, care to enlighten me on how we're handling this?" Steve added when Stark kept staring at Hoshi's form instead of focusing on their task. He snapped to attention and ran a hand through his hair.

"Okay. You know, I was just getting to that when you," Stark paused to think, "dropped in."

"For the record I still disagree with you-"

"Of course you do."

"But I'm here to help," Steve clarified and crossed his arms across his chest.

"And I'm still mad at you," Stark said, crossing his arms too, and Steve decided to back off. For now. His own anger flared for a moment, but the distant rumbling of thunder stoked it. The pitter-patter of falling rain drops on the metal deck was becoming more adamant.

"That's fair," he simply said and shrugged, motioning to Stark to take the floor. Thankfully, he took the cue and addressed his crew again.

"As I have already mentioned, a great storm is approaching us from the southwest," he began and pointed his finger at the black clouds, "and according to the stormeter, it will enter an effective radius in about twenty minutes. It won't be right above us, and we can attempt to side step it. Side sail? Either way, we'll go around the edge, where the waves are smaller. All the while we'll stay under deck, where it's safe. If things get hairy, which they won't, the Avatar will lend us a hand."

"Right," Steve uttered under his breath, feeling his heartbeat pick up again. He couldn't believe he was thinking it, but he really hoped Stark was right.

"And you," he pointed at his crewmen, "all know your designated positions. Keep to your posts and keep an eye on the workings of the ship. I want everything to run like clockwork. We don't have anything to fear."

"Aye," the men responded, some of them blowing fire from their raised fists. They all set out to go back inside the ship and assume their positions.

"Stark, wait," Steve said as the man in question was about to descend as well. He stopped and raised an eyebrow in question.

"I really hope you know what you're doing," Steve sighed, dreading the squall approaching.

"Do  _ you _ know what  _ you're _ doing?" Stark snapped back without hesitation, and Steve took a step back. Thunder sounded in the distance.

_ No, I don't, _ he wanted to say, but didn't.  _ I don't have the faintest clue. _

Instead of answering, he opted for another question: "I've been meaning to ask since I woke up, but where exactly are we sailing to?"

Stark's face softened. "We set course for the Fire Nation. The Capital, to be exact. You're from there, are you not?"

"Yeah," Steve answered, "although the last time I've been there was… seventy years ago," he said with a pained smile. Yeah, sneaking around the palace to find the Tesseract wasn't as fun as it sounded. 

They were the last ones on deck, and the storm loomed closer and closer, so they descended below, with Steve clicking his tongue at Hoshi to follow them, who was eager to get away from the thunder and lightning. He shook off the excess water like a polar bear dog, and Steve threw up his hands just in time to whip up a wall of air to stop both him and Stark from getting soaked. 

"Gee, thanks for that. Wasn't looking for a shower today. As for your long absence, you'll be back home soon, if I have to say anything about it," Stark said, once the door closed behind them. 

"It hasn't been my home since the war started," Steve corrected gently. "I wasn't exactly welcome in the Capital. Or the Fire Nation."

"Right, I forgot they literally banned the Avatar," Stark snorted, and Steve couldn't even be mad.

"You're not even going to ask me what I did to become the enemy of the state?" Steve asked innocently.

"Oh, please. Dad changed the story every time," Stark waved his hand, "it was either refusing to attend the Fire Lord's birthday party or crashing his favourite carriage."

"Throwing his favourite carriage, get it right!" Steve laughed, "They tried to arrest me, so I threw it at them."

"I highly doubt you'd be able to do that," Stark rolled his eyes, but they lingered on Steve's biceps for a split second, "and arrest usually comes after the crime."

"Yeah, that's right. My crime was disagreeing with waging war upon the other nations."

Just then, the mighty clap of thunder shook the entire ship down to the core. Hoshi whined just like when he was just a hatchling, and whipped his tail from side to side. It rang against the walls, and Steve placed a hand on his nose to calm him down. His own racing heart sure wasn't helping.

"Come on, let's get to the engine room," Stark offered, "I need to keep an eye on it, make sure it's working properly. Hoshi will have enough room to… not break anything. As long as he keeps away from the engine, we should be good."

"Right. Thank you," Steve said, and he meant it.

"Don't worry about it, Avatar."

...Well, they still had a long way to go.

* * *

The ship rocked from side to side, tossed around by mighty waves. There had to be a few screws loose, because the floor of the engine room was covered in shallow puddles of salt water. It was slippery and Steve was leaning against Hoshi, who hooked his claws into the floor like an anchor.

Stark was slaving away at the engine, which was working at full speed, if the clouds of steam and loud ticking were any indication. Stark himself was covered in oil grease and sweat, or maybe it was the water from the steam. Dummy the turtle duck, which Stark picked up along the way down, laid on a cushion, surveying his owner from a distance.

The engine groaned when the entire floor sloped to the left along with Steve's stomach. Stark almost lost his balance and risked hitting his head on one of the pipes, but he got a hold on one of the ventils before he could fall. Dummy's pillow slid all the way to the other side of the room. He quacked unhappily, but didn't hop off.

"You know, now would be a good time to do your Avatar thing!" Stark yelled over the hissing of the machine. The entire ship froze for a moment, before swaying to the right like on a swing set. With one hand twisted in Hoshi's fur for balance, Steve pressed the other against the metal wall. He couldn't feel the pull of the ocean at all. He would have more luck trying to bend the water  _ inside _ the ship, but that wouldn't help them. Not like he knew how to water bend anyway. 

"I'm trying! It's no use from the inside of the ship," Steve reasoned, and he wasn't lying. There was no way even a master water bender could do much in this situation.

"Then go on deck and do something!" Stark yelled back.

"Are you crazy?! I'm not going out there!" Steve snapped and Hoshi growled in agreement. There was no way either of them were stepping a foot up on that deck. Metal creaked underneath Hoshi's hooked claws and he was leaving marks, but Steve couldn't care less.

"Aww, is the little Avatar scared of some lightning?" Stark jabbed. His back was turned as he checked all the different controls Steve didn't even begin to understand. The mechanic was becoming more and more agitated, and so was Steve.

"Do you think this is a joke?!" Steve shouted over the rumbling thunder, "Sea storms are not to be messed with, but you  _ had to _ go ahead and put us  _ all _ in danger!"

"So it's my fault now?! And it's you that knows what's best for everyone, isn't it?" Stark retorted, "If anything, it's  _ your _ fault we're in this mess. If I had never found you-"

That stung for a total of one second before the hurt twisted into anger.

"I wish you hadn't! This is a nightmare!" Steve shouted, and for what seemed like the first time in ages, his hands twitched with burning fire that begged to be let out.

"Snap out of it! You can stop this! Do what you Avatars should be doing, get out there, and help us!" Stark demanded, partially obscured by the steam.

"I can't, alright?! I wish I could but I can't!"

Steve was panicking now. Another round of thunder roared in his ears and he shuddered. 

"What are you talking about? What do you mean you can't?!" Stark's annoyed voice was like a shrill cutting Steve to the bone.

To his core, and it became too much.

"I never learned water bending, okay?! I don't know how to do it!" the truth spilled out of his lips as the storm raged on.

"Are you kidding me?!" Stark all but cried in disbelief and he turned to face Steve.

"There was no time, okay? We were at war and I didn't have the time to focus on my training," Steve rushed to explain, heart beating out of his chest. "There was too much fighting going on as it was!"

Stark threw a wrench, missing Steve by a long shot, but there was no denying the man was angry.

"All this time spent acting all high and mighty and yet you fail to mention this?! This is crucial information! We're in the middle of the ocean!"

Yeah, as if he hadn't noticed. The floor was in motion and he was becoming sick, backed up in the corner.

"I tried to tell you, but you left before I could even think of a way to break it to you! I'm sorry, but there really isn't anything I can do!" he snapped at Stark with bite in his tone. 

"Well isn't that perfect! The Avatar, master of all elements, but he can't bend a little water? From the way dad was talking about you, you could bend the whole reality!" 

Despite his smaller stature, Stark loomed over Steve. The walls of the ship were closing in on him, bile rose to his throat and he had nowhere to run. He couldn't even feel Hoshi anymore. Fear mixed with anger and guilt was threatening to spill over.

"Well I can't! I can't! I'm not the man from the legends, I am just that - a man! I tried my best to fulfill my duty-"

"And you failed! You couldn't help anyone, let alone yourself!"

Stark crossed the line.

Next thing Steve knew, he was releasing every emotion that was bubbling inside of him. It spilled out of his eyes in the form of white light. Great power surged through Steve's body, the Avatar spirit coming forth. He felt generation upon generation of Avatars standing beside him, within him, for he was them and they were him. All their endless knowledge and power were his.

It was overwhelming, that much power at his beck and call. It erupted from Steve in waves, and he wasn't seeing or hearing, only feeling, almost as if he wasn't in control after all. It was fire, it was burning, it was feeding on him and growing, thriving. He felt anguish, grief, and rage. So much rage, springing from Steve's heart, and he didn't know if it was more powerful than he was, if it had taken over him.

It felt good until it didn't. It felt freeing until Steve's senses returned, and he heard the snap of metal, the frantic shouts of a man, the desperate howl of his spirit guide. He smelled sea salt and scorched air. Water sprayed his face and it turned to ice as it rolled off of him.

A voice. A name.

"Steve!"

His name. It's been so long since someone else uttered it.

He was Steve, Avatar Steve, of the Fire Nation. And he had entered the Avatar State.

Now that he was aware of that sensation, he could get a better grip on his surroundings. There was Stark, making his way towards him, it seemed, and he was talking. That man never stopped talking. Steve was angry, and he could smite him down like a mere bug if he decided to do so. If he continued pushing him around until Steve broke. Whatever Stark was saying, he couldn't hear it, but he could feel the man's emotions. Regret and shame. He kept talking, and the words didn't come all the way through, but Steve found himself letting go of his emotions. Stark wasn't hostile anymore, on the contrary, he was at Steve's mercy and there wasn't anything Steve needed to defend himself against. No, instead of snark and contempt, Stark was offering something else. Openness and invitation. 

Invitation in the shape of his hand. Stark stuck it right into the fire. It surprised Steve greatly when Stark's fingers reached for his own. It could have taken ages or a few moments.

"...I'm asking you to come back now. Not as the Avatar, but as Steve."

Those words filtered through and Stark grasped his hand. The contact was a shock to Steve's system and he tore his hand away. The turmoil inside him subsided and he could feel the Avatar spirit retreating back inside of him.

Coming back to himself, he felt empty. There was nothing left inside of him. The connection to his previous lives was severed like a cut limb.

Steve's vision swam as he depowered and he shook all over. He stumbled and clutched at his head.

_ What happened..? _

Then came a loud crash, everything lurched forward and his knees buckled. Steve crumbled as everything around shook with a huge impact. The world tilted and screeched. He landed on a hard surface and remained there, accompanied by a yell of pain that wasn't his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story notes:  
> -Usually when a storm comes at sea, the best thing a ship can do is dock somewhere safe in advance. If that isn't possible, the ship should always face the waves head-on (with the bow), because it risks getting rolled over otherwise. Another useful thing is to steer for the "low side" of the storm, where the waves are the smallest and the winds the lowest.  
> -It's quite funny that in the first draft of the story, Steve was originally a water bender, but that got changed fairly quickly. I was torn between water, fire and earth, but I figured fire would serve the most story purposes  
> -It also allows for Steve's predecessor Avatar to be an earth bender... ;)  
> -"stormeter" is something i completely made up and has no basis in reality  
> -the totally real "throwing a carriage" story is inspired by MCU Steve's tendency to hurl vehicles at his enemies
> 
> I have a couple more chapters ready but I have fallen behind on my schedule due to school, so I might split some of the later chapters into two parts. We'll see.
> 
> As always, thank you reading, kudos, bookmarks, and comments <3


	5. The Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions recede as Steve and Tony finally sort out some of their differences, but their troubles are far from over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for late upload! I am incredibly busy with school right now because I guess the teachers want to write as many tests as humanely possible before we have to resort back to online school due to covid-19. I have almost caught up to what I have written so updates might get irregular soon. However, I have the full intent to finish this fic! It's just gonna take a while. Thank you all for bearing with me! <3
> 
> Enjoy an extra long chapter!

Tony wished he could take those words back. He knew he pushed too far when the Avatar started glowing. That couldn't mean anything good.

As if on cue, the metal construction of the ship shifted. Tony couldn't believe his eyes when it got bent to the point of snapping, creating a thin fracture that let the ocean in. The air practically shimmered with energy and power and it blew past Tony's face. He was thrown back against the engine by the force of it. The force of the Avatar.

It was a whole new storm within the ship altogether. The water streaking in turned to ice instantly, and Tony was lucky he wasn't in the path of it. No, all the dagger-like shards gathered around the Avatar, who was shielding his face, and was engulfed by a protective ring of fire. Hoshi cried and writhed in another corner, but didn't try to approach his master.

Tony noticed Dummy squeezed at the back wall, effortlessly knocked back by the wind. He was safely tucked in his shell, but Tony left the cover of the engine and leaped to his aid, clutching the turtle duck to his chest.

"Is this what you want?" the Avatar asked, his voice echoing and layered, consisting of all of his past lives. He stood taller and the metal twisted at his command. Tony had never seen anything like it before. Not even earth benders could bend metal, could they?

"No!" Tony yelled over all the loud noises and cowered in his respective corner.

"Avatar! You're breaking the ship apart! You need to calm down! I took this way too far, and I'm sorry, please stop this!" he pleaded, something he'd never do in other circumstances, but this was serious. The floor made an awful sound as if the keel was scraping against something.

"You keep calling for the Avatar so you shall have him," the Avatar said resolutely in that faceted voice, making all the ice shards rain on the floor like crystals. Gone was the well-composed man that always wore a mask almost as good as Tony. This was the Avatar in his true form, with his true face - no masks and no hiding. And he was in anguish.

Tony wasn't sure how much longer this could keep on going. The engine was straining to keep the ship afloat, cold water was pouring in, and Hoshi kept on wailing. The dragon paced put didn't dare cross the barrier that was shielding the Avatar.

"I'm sorry! But don't you see, this isn't you!" Tony tried again.

"This is me," the Avatar retorted, "all of me!" 

All the elements shifted as he said it. Tony searched for a way out of this. Hot tears were forming in his eyes from the sharp wind assaulting his face. He was at the end of his wits.

"It's my fault! Please forgive me, Steve!" he shouted as a last effort. 

To Tony's surprise, that seemed to do the trick. The wind died down slightly, and metal stopped shifting into grotesque shapes. In fact, the inner layer whirled to adjust and resemble smooth plating once more.

"Your name is Steve!" Tony said, louder this time, "I should have been calling you by your name, not your title, and I'm sorry! That's on me. I hurt you, Steve, I know I did and there's no excuse for the stuff I said."

With each word, another protective wall fell. It wasn't exactly visible, but Tony knew how someone looked when all their armor was falling apart. As he talked, he dared to step closer. He carefully placed Dummy behind one of the pipes, where he would hopefully be safe.

"You're not a failure, Steve. You had a bad run, is all," Tony soothed, and when he didn't get impaled by a spike of ice, he took it as a cue to continue advancing.

Steve didn't respond, didn't blink. The only indication that he was listening at all was the incline of his head and the fire around him, which was dying. His raised hands were getting lower. Slowly but steadily, Tony was approaching him like a scared animal.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you. Scratch that, I shouldn't have said half the stuff I did. You deserve better than that, Steve."

The floor was swaying with the ocean waves drumming against the hull but Steve never staggered. Tony was only a length away from him, spreading his arms to retain balance.

"I keep judging you without knowing you at all. I guess it feels like I have known you all my life," Tony said as he stretched his hand out towards him. His fingertips were just out of reach of the fire.

"I was an asshole, and while you didn't make it easier, we all have our issues. I get that, maybe more than you realise. I'm asking you to come back now. Not as the Avatar, but as Steve."

Tony dared to stretch his hand further into the fire. The flames parted and didn't burn his fingers. All of Steve's barriers were down. Tony reached for his hand and when he found it, he squeezed it over the fence of fire.

As he did, all of it disappeared into thin air. The ice melted back into water and the air stopped moving. Steve flinched his hand away from Tony as if he was burnt by the touch, but the light faded until it was gone. Steve clutched at his head, looking like he was in pain.

Tony hurried to try and support him before he collapsed like the first time, but he never got the chance.

There was an awful screeching noise and the entire ship quaked. Everything jolted to a hard stop before being thrown forward. Steve fell and Tony was quick to follow, but atleast he landed on his hands and knees, partially covering Steve's body with his own. What wasn't so great was the seething pain that suddenly erupted in Tony's right arm and he shouted at the assault. When he dared look, he saw that one of the twisted pieces of metal that had been flying around sliced his bicep open. 

He would have fallen completely, losing strength in the arm supporting his weight, but there was a flash of blue and red, and Hoshi was there, shoving his snout beneath Tony's chest and prevented him from falling.

Tony was taken aback by how close the dragon was, he could literally see every speck of dust and water drop attached to his scales. He never thought he'd ever meet a dragon in his lifetime, let alone be so close to one. Tony twisted and sat down, taking pressure off of his injured arm. The ship had stopped rocking and became completely still. The engine's emergency shut down had activated, much to Tony's satisfaction. That, or it was damaged beyond repair, but Tony decided to remain optimistic.

"You were a little late, but thanks, buddy, it's the thought that counts," Tony told Hoshi, who regarded Tony with interest, then turned to his master. The dragon's long body encircled the two men protectively.

Steve let out a soft groan as he stirred. Tony wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that Steve had hit his head pretty hard. Hoshi nudged him with his nose and his eyes cracked open, now devoid of blinding white light and back to their usual blue.

"Ow… what happened…?" Steve asked as he tried to sit up and pushed himself up against Hoshi's back.

"Your Avatar mode happened," Tony answered and hissed in pain when he moved his injured arm.

"Avatar State," Steve corrected and rubbed the back of his head before focusing on Tony. His eyes widened in surprise.

"You're hurt," he noted. What great observational skills he had!

"It's just a scratch," Tony dismissed, even as blood dripped from the wound and into the layer of water covering the floor. It hurt like a bitch, truth be told.

"That is _not_ just a scratch," Steve declared when all haziness left his face, "It looks pretty deep. We need to stop the bleeding."

Before Tony could argue, Steve crawled over Hoshi's body and grabbed his shield, which was conveniently floating near them. Tony supposed he was lucky it didn't take his head clean off when the ship crashed. Steve then proceeded to use the sharp edge to cut off a strip of his own clothes - the hem of his shirt from underneath his uniform.

"Hey, is that how you treat other people's belongings?" Tony joked weakly, slumping against Hoshi. 

"You gave it to me," Steve said, and pressed the cloth against the length of the cut. Tony hissed in pain and Steve flinched guiltily.

"Is it necessary?" Tony complained, because the wound stung. Steve let go and Tony held the fabric there himself. It hurt.

"Yes, it is. Back… back in the war, we didn't always have healers on hand, so we had to learn how to treat injuries if the need arose. Which it did, more times than I'd like," Steve said and leaned against Hoshi. The dragon seemed unhappy with being submerged in a layer of water, but he loyally remained curled around them.

Tony heard splashing, and turned his head to see Dummy skittering towards them, thankfully unharmed by the onslaught that took place. The water wasn't too deep, so he wasn't exactly swimming, but his paddling was adorable. He used his claws to climb on Hoshi's tail and the dragon didn't seem to mind when Dummy settled in his fur near Tony. He pet him with his good hand.

Steve squirmed in his seat, clearly unsettled. "Did… did I do that?" he asked, motioning at Tony's bloodied arm.

"Not exactly. You don't remember?" 

"Just bits and pieces. The Avatar State, it's overwhelming. I could… I could feel all my past lives, and the Avatar spirit, all at once. They're always with me, but I can't really connect with them in the real world. Our connection is spiritual. For not fully realized Avatars, like me, the Avatar state occurs during times of great danger or… emotional distress."

Now it was Tony's turn to feel guilty. He didn't really mean all the things that he had said, and he always tended to run his mouth off when under pressure. Not to mention, he couldn't help but feel like he was lied to. All the great things he had been hearing about the Avatar for years, and he's not even fully realized? On the other hand, the knowledge that Steve wasn't some perfectly sculpted statue to be glorified and placed on a pedestal was strangely comforting. 

"Look, Steve, is it alright if I call you Steve? I think we're at a point where going back to calling you the Avatar would be awkward."

"Only if I can call you Tony," Steve responded with a small smile.

"Okay, sure, that's fair. When you called me Stark, that made me feel kind of old, but also important, and I'm getting off topic, sorry," Tony sputtered, and oh no, he was rambling, "What I'm trying to say is. I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you. It was awful of me to act like that. I guess I'm carrying a lot of baggage and I never expected to actually meet you, you know? And now that you're here, on my ship, I don't really know how to feel or act around you. Does that make any sense? I'm sorry if it doesn't-"

Steve raised his hand to cut him off.

"I understand," he said, "and I don't blame you if you have mixed feelings about me. I'm dealing with a lot right now, and it's hard to accept that my old life is… gone."

Tony felt another stab of guilt. Yeah, he kind of glossed over that one. Steve glanced at his hands and balled them into fists.

"What happened here mustn't repeat. I can't lose control like that again," he said resolutely, "It hasn't been easy. And I don't think it will get any easier just yet. But I'm willing to try and get better. For everyone's sake."

"You don't have to be better," Tony countered, "being you is enough, and don't argue!" he added when he saw that Steve wanted to fight.

"This is on me," Tony said as he pointed to the carnage surrounding them, "I can't let you keep all the credit, can I?"

"I'm pretty sure I was the one who wrecked your ship," Steve said weakly. 

"And you can own up to that later, but for now, can you forgive me, Steve?" Tony asked and offered his good hand for a shake. Dummy quacked unhappily because Tony had stopped petting his head, and Steve didn't look any happier than the turtle duck.

But then his face cleared and he gripped Tony's hand with his own.

"Let's start over," he said, and gave him one of those rare little smiles of his.

"Lovely!" Tony grinned, still shaking Steve's hand, "I finally get to meet the Ava- sorry, force of habit. I just realised I've never even shaken your hand before. And I'm holding it for too long, is this weird-?"

"You're good, Tony," Steve said when Tony let go, "Can we focus on the priority here?"

Tony winced, glancing at the visible damage, "Right, the ship-"

"No, I meant your arm," Steve shook his head, "you need to get that bandaged with something other than my torn shirt. How did it happen?"

Tony didn't like Steve's guilty expression, so he decided to nip that in the bud. "You stop what you're thinking right there! It was an accident, honest. Some of the debris here flew right at me when we crashed. Which reminds me, we crashed!"

"But your arm-"

"Will be fine," Tony insisted, "but if the ship sinks, I don't think my arm will be of any help, because we'd be all dead."

Steve sighed, defeated, and probably a bit drained from his Avatar tantrum or State or whatever he had called it. 

"Fine, we check the damage, but you'll let your crew handle it and you will get your arm looked at by Jarvis," Steve settled, and his voice didn't leave any room for argument. That was fine by Tony.

"Deal. Let's go then!"

* * *

They had to move to the front of the ship, where most of the damage must have resided. Dummy and Hoshi had to stay behind, after Steve assured Tony that the dragon wouldn't try to eat Dummy. As they walked, Tony tried to ignore Steve giving him the stink eye, but it was hard to not pay attention to that piercing gaze of his burning through Tony's back. That was definitely uncalled for, the wound wasn't even bleeding anymore. 

The storm had surprisingly quieted down, and it seemed to have gone just as quickly as it had arrived. Only distant rumbles remained as evidence that it even existed. Those, and the damage the ship had sustained.

They reached the cargo hold, and to Tony's relief, there didn't seem to be any fractures to the hull. The metal was dented inward from the initial crash, but there were no visible holes that Tony could see. The bow would probably have trouble opening, but that wasn't the most important thing at that moment. There were minimal amounts of water spread across the floor, so Tony deemed it a success.

"Tony Stark wins again," he said as he rapped his knuckles against the wall, creating a dull, hollow noise.

"You call that a win? It looks like a komodo rhino plowed through the wall," Steve said, still visibly concerned, if the crease between his eyebrows was any indication.

"It's not that bad, nothing I can't fix. I'm more worried about the cut you created back near the engine," Tony said, remembering the deep gash that slashed through the wall like it was paper. He decided not to mess with Steve again… Maybe. Nah, he'd be mulling it over. Now that he knew the guy wasn't as great as his father made him out to be, he had some fine ammunition to tease him with. That pesky Avatar State was a problem, though, so he'd have to watch out for that. Or rather, be mindful when making jokes at Steve's expense.

"I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to cause any damage or harm… But you're getting off topic, there's an injury that needs treating," Steve persisted and it was Tony's turn to cave in.

"You're no fun. Fine, I'm going. You could still explain to me how you managed to rip metal to shreds, though," Tony said as they took the stairs to the upper levels.

"Wasn't me," Steve shrugged as they walked, "Logan."

"Who's Logan?"

Steve opened his mouth to answer, but that was the moment they came across a disheveled Jarvis coming towards them.

"Master Tony, what happened to you? Are you alright? Did we crash?" Jarvis asked, nodding to Steve and looking Tony up and down with worry. Great, now there was two of them.

"I'm fine, Jarvis, I mean I'm not fine," Tony amended when Jarvis regarded him critically, "but it could be much worse. Steve here is almost as bad as you when it comes to badgering me."

"I take it you two are getting along?" Jarvis asked, amused, and led them to Tony's quarters.

"More or less. We'll be working on it, promise," Tony replied and settled on the bed, prepared to have his injury treated.

"That's nice to hear. Avatar Steve, do you mind going around and checking in on the crew? Maybe more of them will require medical help," Jarvis requested, and Steve nodded without complaint. _Unbelievable,_ Tony thought as he unstuck the piece of cloth from the wound, gritting his teeth.

"I'm still a little lost around here, but I'll knock on all the doors if I need to," Steve dutily said, and turned to leave.

Tony couldn't resist calling after him, "By the way, I thought you ought to know. Your abs are showing, but I didn't feel the need to mention it until now."

Steve's eyes widened in surprise, but indeed, there was a thin space left from where he had cut off a stripe of his shirt. Alarmed and red in the face, he pulled his uniform down to cover the hole.

"I hate you," he said as he left. Charming. Tony's cheeky grin disappeared when Jarvis brought a bucket of water and some fresh bandages. Oh, this was gonna sting.

"I'm not going to ask, Master Tony, but I will ask you to take it easy and not do any work until you're healed," Jarvis said as he prepared the supplies.

"But that's going to take ages, Jarvis," Tony complained.

"And by aggravating the wound, it will take that much longer," Jarvis logically replied. Tony had to admit he had a point. Still...

"I won't rest until the ship is repaired," he declared.

Then the cleaning of the wound began and he wasn't quite so sure anymore.

* * *

He ended up resting that night. Jarvis was quite persistent and if Tony had to cross him or Steve, he'd choose Steve, truth be told. 

So there he was, tossing and turning in his own bed this time, trying to settle for a position that wouldn't strain his now dressed injury, which was quite difficult. He did end up catching some shut eye eventually, but his sleep was light and often interrupted by bursts of pain when he shifted in his sleep.

One time he even thought he had a nightmare about a cave, his head under water, and he couldn't breathe, and his chest was tight and ached as if it wanted to burst open. He awoke drenched in sweat, hand slipping inside his vest, and finding a cool, smooth surface near his heart. His "reactor" was still there, and he could catch his breath again. He wasn't dying.

It was hard to go back to sleep after that, but somehow he managed, because when he awoke next time, Dummy was in his bed, with his neck draped over Tony's good arm and sound asleep. He had no idea if it was Jarvis or Steve who had brought him there, but he finally managed to doze off for a reasonable amount of time.

A gentle hand shook him awake hours later.

"It's ten in the morning, Master Stark," Jarvis' voice came through as Tony pushed his face against the pillow.

"Fivh minvts," Tony mumbled, still not fully awake.

"You should come to deck when you're ready," Jarvis said, and that made Tony focus.

"Wait, what?" he asked, but Jarvis was already gone. Tony yawned and stretched, careful not to agitate his arm. He found a freshly made cup of peppermint tea on the counter, still steaming. Jarvis really did think of everything. Tony sipped at it and got dressed. He finally decided to do what Jarvis had asked of him. Dummy awoke too, and the turtle duck trotted after Tony as he went upstairs to the deck.

Door open, showing clear sky above, Tony carefully climbed outside. The sun was already high, but the air was humid, and when he took a look around, he could see that they had crashed in a swamp. No wonder the ship wasn't as banged up as it could have been, the soil was wet and soft and there weren't many rocks around. A stroke of luck in their otherwise shitty voyage.

"Tony, come over here!" someone called, and Tony turned to see Steve beckoning him to a secluded spot near the control room. There was a table that had been dragged there from the inside of the ship, and a large map of the world was spread on top. Jarvis was there too, as well as Happy, and they were all overlooking the piece of paper.

"Good morning to you too," Tony said as he came over, his feet thumping against the metal surface. He noticed that Steve had replaced his torn shirt with a new one, and he was still outfitted with his uniform.

"Come look," Steve beckoned and pointed to the map. Tony did, and he could see that they had landed in the southwestern part of the Earth Kingdom. They were probably blown of course by the storm, since the ship was quite light and small as compared to other ships.

"I took Hoshi for a flight in the morning, to take a look around," Steve said, and the dragon in question was spread across the deck like a large rug, taking in the sun. Dummy skittered close and Hoshi didn't seem to mind.

"It is morning right now," Tony yawned and rubbed at his eye.

"Earlier in the morning," Steve rolled his eyes, "and there is a small coastal village nearby, just outside the swamp, to the northwest. I didn't enter it, but it seems like a good place to get some food and supplies."

"We are quite low on fruit and bread, I'm afraid," Jarvis confirmed. Oh, and whose fault was that? Tony glanced at Dummy who was having the time of his life climbing on Hoshi's tail without a care in the world.

"Got it, and how exactly do we get there? It's not like we can sail there," Tony pointed out.

"It's not that far. We can trek on foot," Steve said, and Tony shook his head. That man had the worst ideas ever!

"Through the swamp? No way, it's more likely that someone will get stuck in quicksand, or something, than get to the village safely."

To Tony's surprise, Steve nodded his head, "I know. Which is why we'll go right alongside the coast, and Hoshi will keep an eye on us from above. There is an old path that appears about halfway to the village. Until we reach it, we'll just have to be careful."

"Can't Hoshi just fly us there?" Tony argued, trying to weasel his way out of trekking in the close vicinity of the swamp. The place gave him nasty vibes and he had no desire to venture anywhere near it.

"He may be friendly, but he doesn't take too well to other people riding him just yet," Steve explained, "He's still too young, and he couldn't carry more than three passengers, at most. Plus, I don't have a saddle."

"I could make one."

"With that arm? That's another matter, if there's a healer in the village, you'll get that healed right up. No offense to your skills, Jarvis."

"None taken, Avatar Steve," Jarvis said. "I think he's right, Master Tony. You can take half of the crew, and the rest of us will guard the ship until you return and start the repairs."

"You're not coming?" Tony asked.

"No, I think I'll remain here," Jarvis confirmed. "Unless you think you would require my services, then I'll gladly come along."

"No, Jarvis, you can stay," Tony shook his head. "I'll let the crew choose who wants to come and who wants to remain. We'll come back soon."

"I can always fly forward with a message," Steve offered, and everyone agreed. They'd be leaving on that same day.

Indeed, about an hour later, they were all set to go. They wouldn't be carrying any bags, everything they needed was attached to Hoshi's back. He didn't seem too happy about it, but he let Steve secure the bags to him without complaint. Six of Tony's men have decided to come with them, reveling in the idea of sleeping on solid ground again. Not everyone in the crew was a sailor, really, but they were men Tony trusted and they knew their way around machines. Most of the sailors decided to stay, and hey, if that was their idea of relaxing, that was none of Tony's business.

Since the front part of the ship was steadily buried in mud, the bow wouldn't come open and they had to descend down the side of the ship. On ropes. That was difficult to pull off with one arm, but Tony refused to ask for anyone's help. He ended up dropping down the last bit, and landing about ankle deep in sludge. Oh, he already hated the swamp. He lifted one foot with an awful squelching sound that would haunt him for days. Good thing that boots were the standard footwear of the Fire Nation. It was due to hot vulcanic sand, but they worked for the muck just as well.

The rest of the party climbed down, except for Steve, who descended on Hoshi and slipped off of his back further away. The dragon refused to even touch the murky water and mud, and hovered above the ground only for as long as necessary. Tony had similar qualms about the swamp. He glanced back at the ship and waved Jarvis goodbye, before wading all the way to Steve.

"You're not going to fly on Hoshi?" he asked. He'd do it, given the chance.

"No, I figured I'd go on foot with you," Steve told him instead. "After all, I know the way, and the trees are quite thick here. You'd have trouble seeing Hoshi in the sky, leading the way."

"I sure hope he won't have the same problem as we'd have," Tony said, and glanced at the trees. Fog lingered far into the swamp, white and mysterious. 

"Hoshi's sight is excellent," Steve offered, and the dragon chirped from above in agreement.

"I bet Dummy's is better," Tony smiled, "he can spot a crumb of bread on you from the other side of the room."

Steve just smiled back, and for once, the silence between them wasn't tense, or heavy. Dummy would be staying on the ship for the time being, because Tony really didn't want him to get eaten by whatever could be lurking in the swamp.

The rest of the men joined them soon and Steve led them to some solid ground, where the roots of the trees were the thickest, just at the edge of the mire. 

"Watch where you step," Steve called all the way to the back of the line. Tony ended up right behind him, and he placed his feet at the exact same spots Steve did. He was choosing them carefully, while still managing to advance swiftly.

The bog was bustling with life. All sorts of sounds could be heard through the haze of the swamp. Insects buzzed near Tony's ears, and he hated it, hated every second of it. He hadn't had a shower in a few days now, and he was feeling every drop of sweat down his neck. Oh, what he would give for the comforts of his hot tub… 

Thankfully, Steve wasn't lying when he told them it wasn't far. After what could have been only a few minutes, they came across a solid path made of earth, no longer submerged in a murky layer of water or slime. It felt good to no longer plow his feet through that sticky mess. The path was unkept, but visible, for which Tony was grateful. When he glanced up, he could sometimes spot a flash of blue or red - Hoshi keeping guard over them. It made him feel much safer.

He considered starting some smalltalk, getting a conversation going, but he couldn't find the words. Something about that place was strangely unnerving, keeping them all silent like prey animals afraid to utter a sound in fear of being spotted by a predator.

Suddenly, Steve stopped walking and Tony almost crashed into him. The tall man was unmoving, and staring into the swamp, as if he had seen something. When Tony followed his gaze, he couldn't see anything, just that damn fog.

"Why did we stop?" someone from the back of the line asked in a small voice. Steve's gaze was unfocused and glazed over when he took a determined step off of the path and into the water.

"Hey!" Tony called and gripped him by the arm before he could wander off, "What are you doing?!"

Steve blinked and clarity returned to his eyes. He glanced around in confusion, meeting Tony's gaze and everyone else's confused stares. He himself seemed perplexed and almost shaken.

"I thought… I thought I heard…" he mumbled as he retreated back onto the path.

"Heard what?" Tony questioned.

"A voice," Steve answered, sceptically looking into the mist. There was nothing to see there.

"A voice calling me," he clarified after a moment.

"Steve, there's no voice," Tony said, then looked back at his crew. "You guys hear any voices?"

Everyone shook their heads. The fact that their guide was hearing voices wasn't a good sign. They had to get out of there. The sooner the better.

Hoshi roared distantly above them, and that seemed to snap Steve back into reality. He tore his blue eyes away from the depths of the swamp and turned back to the path.

"Let's go," Steve said at last, as if nothing had happened, but he wasn't fooling anyone. Everyone kept throwing cautious glances into the thick fog, not finding any answers to their questions.

The place was giving Tony the creeps, so he was incredibly glad when the trees started to clear up and the path wound up uphill. A simple wooden arch marked the exit to the swamp. They got all the way to the top, and passing beneath the arch left Tony relieved that they were out of there.

Just up ahead, the beaten path twisted towards a small settlement of houses. The village. At its entrance stood a gathering of people, as if waiting for their arrival. Had they known they would come? 

With a swish of wind, Hoshi descended from the heavens and landed beside them. Of course, it was kind of hard to miss the dragon flying above the treetops. It wasn't a common sight. In fact, and Tony took his time telling this to Steve, Hoshi may have been the first dragon anyone has seen in seventy years.

They made it to the village entrance, Hoshi walking beside them like their guardian spirit. The gathered crowd didn't look exactly… hostile, but they were on guard. At the front of the group stood an older man with grey hair, in a green military uniform of the Earth Kingdom.

"Welcome to Culver, travellers," he greeted them when they reached the gathered crowd, and took a little bow. They all politely returned it.

"We don't have visitors very often," the military man continued, "my name is general Ross of the Earth Kingdom."

"We come from afar, our ship crashed not far from here due to the storm last night. Please allow us to introduce ourselves, general," Tony said with a grin. This part of the Earth Kingdom was a Fire Nation colony, so he was kind of hoping for some Fire Nation citizens, but it would have to do. Tony thought he recognised the name Ross, but he wasn't well-versed in the military, let alone of the Earth kingdom.

"I am Anthony Stark," he said, and only a handful of the villagers had recognition in their eyes. Well, that was a bit of an anti climax.

"...and this, ladies and gentlemen," Tony continued less eagerly as he pointed to Steve, who squirmed in his spot, "is Avatar Steve, in the flesh."

Gasps and whispers erupted from the crowd.

"That's impossible," Ross said, wide eyed. Tony nudged Steve in the ribs with his elbow, and while the man gave him a glare, he waved his arm in an offensive manner, a small dash of fire erupting from his palm. Then Steve moved his other arm, in a more peaceful display, and a gust of wind blew through the crowd. It would have to do for now, but it did seem to do the trick.

"Unbelievable, the Avatar has returned! Our troubles are over at last!" Ross laughed, and the crowd cheered. Tony didn't have time to analyze what the general said. The villagers parted for them to pass, and their party entered the village. Ross was suddenly at Steve's side, effectively ignoring everyone else.

"What can we do for you, Avatar? There's not much we have here, but we will provide whatever we can," Ross offered as they walked to what seemed to be the village hall, or something of the sort.

"You are very kind, thank you," Steve said curtly, "we just need some food for now. Oh, and Tony requires medical help."

Ross took a glance at Tony and his injury, he looked over the crowd and yelled: "Bruce! Where's Bruce? Someone tell him he's needed right now!"

The villagers exchanged glances, trying to find this Bruce, until a small man with curly black hair quickly stumbled towards them. He had murky looking glasses sitting at the root of his nose.

"You called for me, general?" he asked, and seemed scared out of his mind, but Ross didn't pay attention to that.

"Yes, this young man needs your help," Ross said, pointing at Tony. He weakly waved at Bruce with his uninjured arm. Bruce looked a tiny bit less startled. His glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose, and he pushed them back with his fingers.

"Right, okay, come with me please, to my hut," Bruce stammered.

"Wow, that's forward, won't you take me to dinner first?" Tony joked and Bruce flushed in the face.

"J-just come, please," he said at last, probably unsure of how to respond, and Tony followed him as he was eager to detach himself from the crowd. It was becoming a bit overwhelming.

"Guess I'll see you later, Tony?" Steve called after him, and for once, Tony didn't want to be in his place. Don't get him wrong, Tony could be an attention hog, but this was a bit too much even for him. Steve was practically swarmed by the villagers, all asking questions, and there was general Ross, practically rooted to Steve's side. Hoshi was similarly hounded, both human and dragon were looked at like they were the sun. It was kind of funny and harmless, if not strange. Tony's crew remained with the Avatar as they were herded towards a taller building. Steve looked a bit distressed, but he'd handle it, Tony was sure.

"Have fun!" Tony shouted as a goodbye, before following Bruce further to the outskirts of the village, closer to the swamp. That boded less well with him than getting away from all the commotion. There were a couple of spear launchers stationed on the edges, pointed right into the swamp. The deadly looking constructions sure weren't a good sign.

"You live in a very creepy place, let me tell you that," Tony told Bruce. His skin crawled whenever he looked into the depths of the mire. The launchers ready to fire if need be were somewhat of a consolation. The design was cearly of the Earth Kingdom, a bit primitive compared to the inventions of the Fire Nation. But the weapons still looked like they could pack a punch. And although Tony thought he recognised the design, he'd have to examine it up close to draw a conclusion.

"The swamp has its secrets," Bruce shrugged and opened the door to his home, "but if you leave it alone, you have nothing to fear…"

He sounded lost in thoughts as he entered his hut. It was small, but strangely cozy. It was very well organized, not a thing out of place. Tony settled on the creaky bed and Bruce closed the door behind them.

"So, you're the village healer?" Tony asked. Bruce was unravelling some medical supplies, it seemed, such as clean bandages and oddly smelling creams.

"Yes," Bruce confirmed. "I am a waterbender, you see."

That surprised Tony greatly.

"A waterbender? What are you doing in a remote village so far from the Poles?" he asked. Bruce turned to him and adjusted his glasses.

"I was born here," he replied, "native waterbenders in these parts are rare, but not unheard of. The swamp holds a great, uh, spiritual energy."

Bruce averted his eyes as he said it, but Tony paid it no mind. 

"Uh-uh, we noticed that for sure. Our Avatar thought he heard a voice."

"That's… curious," Bruce said, and his breath hitched. "May I see your arm?"

Tony peeled the bandage off of his arm. The cut was still red and ugly and Tony was looking forward to getting it healed. Maybe coming here wasn't such a bad idea.

"That doesn't look that bad," Bruce noted as he examined the wound. "It might take me about a day to heal it completely, but I can definitely help you out."

"Lovely. Name's Tony, by the way, Tony Stark, you know?" Tony said and waited for Bruce's reaction.

"You're… from the Fire Nation, right? I think I've heard of you before," Bruce offered, "you run a company?"

"Finally some recognition," Tony grinned, "Actually, my… friend, Pepper, runs Stark Corp, but I own it. I'm an inventor, you see, and a believer in progress."

"Well that makes two of us," Bruce smiled, and it was just a little bit strained, but Tony smiled back.

"You can call me Bruce, by the way," Bruce said and dragged a cauldron from the corner to the center of the room. It was full of water, almost to the brim.

"Okay, Bruce, give it all you have," Tony said and angled his arm for an easy access.

Bruce made a wavy motion with his arms repeatedly, and the water in the cauldron stirred, until a part of it separated from the rest and it floated in the air like a weird bubble, before wrapping around Bruce's hand like a glove. Tony had never seen waterbending before. 

Bruce held out his hand and the water touched the skin of Tony's stretched arm and engulfed the wound. It even glowed a little, and it fascinated Tony greatly. There was no pain, and a soothing sensation spread through Tony's arm. When the water and glow receded, the cut was pinkish, looking much less inflamed.

It not only looked better, it felt better. It was still clearly not healed, but it didn't hurt as much anymore. Tony turned his arm around to examine it, and was surprised when no pain accompanied the movement.

"Wow," he gasped, "this is much better! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Bruce said as he returned the water back into the cauldron. "Don't pressure it just yet, it will still need a couple more sessions to heal completely. You can come back in the evening, or tomorrow morning. If it itches, apply this paste," he gave Tony a small container, "For now, I'd put the bandages back on."

"Alright, alright," Tony sighed and rewrapped clean bandages around his bicep. With everyone insisting he take care of himself, it became harder to disregard them.

"Guess I should go and find Steve before the mob devours him," Tony said.

"Can you find your way back?" Bruce asked. "They'll be at the Hall, that tall building."

"I'll manage, but thanks," Tony said. "See you soon, Bruce?"

"Yeah," he said as he slowly closed the door, "and keep away from the swamp, okay?"

The door closed right in Tony's face. Bruce's tone of voice sent chills down Tony's spine. The swamp sat at the edge of his vision, and he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched.

He hurried back to the village center, past the launchers, and didn't dare look back over his shoulder.

It was right then he remembered why Ross' name had been so familiar.


	6. When Help Is Needed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A feast is in order, but something is definitely off in the village of Culver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry for the delay! Long time no see, huh? This chapter was super long, I had to split it in two, the second part is already written, and still in Steve's POV. I'm not sure how fast this story will progress, but I am still very keen on it and I don't want to abandon it! Either way, here goes... the mystery continues...

Steve never signed up for any of this. He didn't choose to be the Avatar, it was fate who determined he'd be the next reincarnation. When he was a child, there were times when he wished he'd be the Avatar. He could have anything in the world then! All the food, money and medicine he'd ever need, a brand new home for him and his mother to live in. She wouldn't have to work so hard anymore. They'd never be hungry again. And all those kids picking on him wouldn't dare to do it ever again. 

But it was just that, wishful thinking, that Steve often voiced to Bucky when the older boy would pull him away from a fight he couldn't win. He'd say that if he was the Avatar, he'd make sure no kids were bullied ever again, and that there would be no more poor people, and that everyone would live in harmony. Wasn't the Avatar supposed to be the keeper of balance, afterall? Wouldn't it be awesome to hold that much power?

Well, yes, in a way. It sure was something. But those thoughts belonged to a naive eight year old boy. Steve was older now, and knew better. There was no such thing as "perfect balance". It wasn't something anyone could ever achieve. The world simply didn't work that way. Steve had grown and learned when his mother fell sick and died, and there was nothing he could do to save her. He was sixteen then. Only a month after her death, the Fire Mages had proclaimed him the new Avatar.

At that moment, he would have revoked the Avatar spirit and everything that came with it in exchange for his mother. Anything to have her back. But the world didn't work that way.

Steve didn't choose any of this, and sometimes he wished he wasn't the Avatar at all.

This was one of those instances. A much more watered down version of the usual, but the feeling was there.

"Come on in, precious guests," Ross told them eagerly, guiding them to the tall doors of the town hall. Two guards garbed in the Earth Kingdom green were stationed at the entrance, and some of the villagers rushed to help them to pull the doors open. 

"Is it true that you can breathe fire like your dragon?" one of the kids asked, looking up at Steve with wide eyes. 

"S-sort of," Steve stammered, not used to this much attention. It was different back in his day. "I get a sore throat afterwards, though, so I try not to do it too much."

"Can you show us?" another child pleaded, seemingly ignoring what he had just said.

"Maybe later, we're going inside now?" Steve half-said, half-asked, and all the children sighed in disappointment.

"Look, I can show you the dragon dance, first thing in the morning. How does that sound?" Steve offered instead, and that seemed to satisfy them. He hoped Hoshi would be up for that, but at the moment, the dragon wasn't exactly pleased. One of the braver children was hugging his front leg, and Hoshi gave Steve a scalding look, as if to say, _this is your fault_. And it sort of was, but Steve just threw up his arms as Hoshi snorted in contempt. He'd win the dragon over later, after this… introduction was behind them.

"Behave," was all he said to his companion, and Hoshi bared his teeth for a moment. _Only if you behave, too._

Their party entered the hall (with the exception of Hoshi, who was too big to fit in there). It was quite spacious, but it wouldn't be enough for all of the villagers. A long table stood in the middle of it and Ross motioned to them to take a seat. 

Steve sat down along the longer side of the table while their host took the head of the table on the right side.

"Bring us some drinks," Ross ordered the villagers, and to Steve's surprise, they almost tripped over themselves to get to the empty pitchers before the others would. The few victorious men and women rushed outside, probably to get water, or wine, or whatever they had around here. 

"Thank you for your hospitality, it is very much appreciated," Steve said as empty glasses were placed in front of him and Tony's crewmen, who sat beside Steve. A couple of Earth kingdom soldiers stood guard in the corners of the room, listening. The rest of the villagers had to stay out, but Steve could practically feel their presence squeezed at the now closed doors.

"Anything for the Avatar," Ross said with a sly smile. "You may stay for as long you need to, I insist. We are happy to have you here."

"That's very generous of you," Steve thanked him. He couldn't help but notice how the general seemed to be fixated on him. 

Ross just waved his hand, "It is no trouble. Now, do you mind telling us how come you have returned to us? I bet it's quite the tale."

"I- uh," Steve stammered. He wasn't ready to relay his story to complete strangers. It was still too fresh in his mind. But he'd have to do it eventually.

"You are the Avatar from the great war, or am I mistaken? Based on your dragon and looks, I'm guessing you're from the Fire Nation. And I doubt an entire cycle would have gone by, even if it had been seventy years," Ross reasoned, and enlaced his fingers on the table, awaiting an answer. 

Steve was backed into a corner. Again.

"No, you're not wrong," he sighed as his glass was filled with some yellow liquid. "I am Avatar Steve of the Fire Nation. I was born over ninety years ago."

"You certainly don't look it."

"I don't, but let's keep it at that, please," Steve pleaded and took a sip from his glass to avoid further conversation. Whatever was the drink they gave him, he had to refrain himself from spitting it right out. It was bitter and had the sharp twinge of alcohol, but he forced himself to swallow.

"Not a fan of Earth brandy, are we?" Ross snickered, but the look in his eyes suggested that he'd return to questioning Steve later.

"Does it show that much?" Steve asked as he coughed into the sleeve of his uniform. He never did like alcoholic drinks too much, not back then and not now.

"Only if I squint," the general laughed and clapped Steve on the shoulder. He tried to take it as a positive sign.

"You must be hungry, and worn from your travel," Ross added, and Steve hoped his stomach wouldn't betray him. He also noticed the crewmen from the ship listening in, now that food was mentioned.

"You could say that," Steve nodded, "some refreshment would be welcome."

"Then let us prepare a feast for the Avatar!" Ross declared loudly enough to be heard outside.

"That won't be necessa-"

The doors blasted inward and the guards had to jump out of the way.

"A feast? That sounds amazing, I'm starving!" the newly arrived Tony announced as he strode in like he owned the place. He grabbed a chair without permission and sat on the left, at the foot of the table, opposite of where Ross was seated. He even went as far as laced his fingers behind his head and rocked backwards in his chair, dangerously dangling on only two of the four legs.

Steve wished the inventor was closer to him because a) he'd really like to hit him and b), he wanted to ask him about his arm. Instead, he settled for one of his verified 'the Avatar is disappointed in you' stares that Bucky swore were more guilt tripping than a polar bear dog puppy pouting. It didn't seem to have an immediate effect on Tony, but Steve had yet to meet someone immune to his gaze.

"It shall be arranged," Ross said curtly, scornfully looking at Tony. He seemed to be immune to that too. One of the villagers peeking in rushed inside and poured Tony a full glass of the Earth brandy.

"Is there anything in particular any of you would like?" Ross asked, all the wrinkles smoothed out from his voice.

"More of this," Tony said after he drained his prepared glass in one smooth motion. Steve blinked at him like he had grown a second head.

"...and absolutely _no_ turtle duck dishes," Tony added as he put the empty glass now, looking serious. 

"If that is all," Ross said after a brief pause, "my daughter will escort you to your accommodation while the feast is prepared. You are welcome to rest for as long as you need."

"Thanks a ton, really," Tony sputtered before Steve even opened his mouth. He got up from his chair by pushing himself from the table, creating an awful screeching sound.

"Come on, Steve," Tony called, much to Steve's surprise. He took a little bow, for the general's benefit, before hastily getting to his feet and following the inventor outside, past the Earth kingdom guards.

"Hey… your arm any better?" he asked as they got out, the six crewmen that came with them following dutifully. 

"Huh? Oh, yeah! For sure," Tony stammered, clearly distracted. Steve only knew him for a few days, but he could tell he was acting strange. The villagers had mostly dispersed, probably off to prepare the food, only a few of them remained to catch one last glance of Steve before being off to do whatever they needed to do. The children, however, were still at large, gawking and swarming Hoshi who was resigned to his fate and laid the length of his body on the ground. He perked up when he saw Steve again.

"Come on, boy," Steve called him and clicked his tongue, much to the children's dismay. The dragon looked relieved to be finally free and shook like a wet polar bear dog.

"Don't forget, I'll show you the dragon dance tomorrow," Steve added, upon seeing as the kids lost their smiles. They cheered a little, before Hoshi snorted, as if to say, _I'd like to see you make me dance with you_. Steve just scratched him under the chin and the dragon huffed in relief. Just as he finished doing that, a dark-haired woman approached them.

"It is a great honour to meet you," she said as she bowed, "I'm Betty Ross. My father, the general, runs Culver on the orders of the Earth King."

"Does he now?" Tony asked, and Steve shouldered past him. Just what was up with him? Being rude wouldn't bring them any favours.

"We appreciate everything you're doing for us," he told Betty before she could react to Tony's remark.

"It's our pleasure, Avatar," she said, "I'd never thought I'd get to meet you. Now come, I will show you to your rooms."

And that she did. Betty took them to the far side of the village, away from the swamp and closer to the coast. Steve could hear the sea rock against the shore and smell salt in the air, a nice change to the humid environment of the mire. There were a couple wooden huts bigger than the ones they had seen so far, but not nearly as big as the Hall. On one side laid the remains of another building, broken into pitiful pieces of wood and straw. In the middle of the clearing proudly stood some sort of siege weapon, not akin to anything Steve had seen in his life before. And he had seen a fair share of weapons in his lifetime. The construction was loaded with a spear and aimed at the sky, away from the huts where the people lived. Steve was glad they were friendly. He wouldn't want that thing attacking Hoshi when they were scouting.

"This is where our soldiers are usually staying," Betty explained when she saw Steve overlooking the imposing weapon. "But they'll be moving in elsewhere while you're here. We have prepared your rooms for you. Make yourselves at home."

As the men dispersed after a nod from Tony, Steve caught the inventor's uninjured arm. The man in question turned with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"May I have a word, Tony?"

"Well, considering that you're talking to me right now, I guess so. Just spit it out, I can't wait to take a bath."

Steve made a mental note to take a bath too. The humidity of the swamp didn't do any of them favours. Hoshi wasn't keen on it either, the dragon quickly slinked on top of one of the huts, taking in the sun. The building seemed to sink into the ground by an inch, much to Steve's dismay. Seemed like Hoshi already picked his hut out for him.

"What was with you back there?" Steve asked Tony, straight to the point. "I've come to know that you can be a handful if you want to be, and you were definitely trying to be…"

"Annoying?" Tony's eyebrows raise further.

"For a lack of a better word, yes," Steve shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, you see," Tony started, and moved closer to the hut he chose for himself (the biggest one, of course), "I've been in the inventing business, as you know. But also the weapons business, as you may also know. Remember my flamethrowers?"

Steve just rolled his eyes and motioned Tony to continue. 

"I mostly put an end to that, for err, personal reasons, but I still know certain people with similar aspirations. You meet a bunch of them and hear about thrice as many. And not just from the Fire Nation."

"Tony, where are you going with this?"

"I was just getting there!" he threw up his arms, "Ever since we came here, I've been trying to remember where I've heard the name Ross before. And it came to me like a lightning bolt from a clear sky."

Tony leaned against the doorway and made a motion as if he was painting a picture.

"Guy is a seasoned general of the Earth Kingdom, but has this hobby of collecting weapons. If I recall, he bought some off Stark Corp back in the day. The nasty ones - something with much more firepower than a mere flamethrower or my fire gauntlets."

"Wait, you made weapons worse than those?" Steve questioned.

"That's not my point!" Tony cried, briefly curling his fingers into fists, "Point is, babies like this one right here," he pointed at the siege weapon, "can do some real damage. What do you think happened to that destroyed hut?" Tony pointed at the pathetic pile of wood gathered to the side. "I trust Ross about as far as I can throw him."

"Which isn't very far," Steve noted.

"Exactly! I just can't get rid of the feeling that something is off here. He's being too nice. Don't you get that too?"

Steve paused to think about that. He supposed that yes, he felt like something was definitely wrong, even if he couldn't explain it. It was like an itch beneath his skin that he couldn't scratch at. For one, the Earth Kingdom had beef with the Fire Nation, spanning for decades. They had no reason to be as welcoming as they were.

"In a way, yes… I'm used to people being awed, as much as I hate it. But the reaction here was... a bit too much," Steve recalled the straight up party the village of Colver was about to throw him.

"I'm sorry mine was so lukewarm," Tony said, then smirked, "Actually, ice-cold is a better word."

Steve didn't appreciate that comment one bit.

"Just because we're good now," he glowered, "doesn't mean we can't go back to the way things were earlier," he warned, and to his own surprise, Tony backed off.

"Oh, shoot. Right. I suppose it's too soon. Sorry, and all that," the dark-haired man sputtered, out of his depth. He scratched at the door frame with his fingernails, not looking up at his companion.

"Please don't do that again," Steve simply told him, already bracing for an angry retort of some sort.

It never came, however. Instead: "I won't. Believe it or not, it's not in my interest to hurt you," Tony quickly said, "I mean, when I was ten, I did have this old drawing of you - really inaccurate, by the way - which I used as practice for throwing knives."

The mental image of that was so absurd that Steve couldn't help but bark out stray laughter. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Well, it did, didn't it?" Tony smirked, now relieved, "If you're still on edge, take a bath. I'm sure that's gonna put your mind at ease. That's what I'll be doing now, anyway."

Oh, right. Steve forgot they were still standing at the doorway to Tony's borrowed hut, awkwardly lingering there like hovering insects.

"Right. Won't keep you any longer," Steve said, backing up, and almost tripping on a tiny rock. That would have been pretty embarrassing.

"See you at the feast," Tony replied and shut the door behind him. That went well. Steve had an inkling of a feeling that something didn't quite add up at Colver, and Tony only supported that theory.

Nevertheless, Steve had returned to his own hut. It was small and compact, absolutely impersonal, with multiple beds, undoubtedly for the soldiers to stay in. A bathroom was located at the back, complete with a tub crafted out of stone. Buckets of clean water were prepared in the corner. Steve poured three in and undressed, stripping off of all of his clothes and undoing the golden trinket holding his hair in a knot. He could see his reflection in the surface of the water, his bare torso marked with pinkish burn scars. It hurt to think that while they were inflicted over seventy years ago, for Steve himself it had only been a couple of days. He had been lucky that Peggy was there to heal him right after his ordeal. His punishment, as the old Fire Lord would have said. 

Head murky with those unwanted thoughts, Steve swept his hand through the water, disrupting the reflection. He forced fire to erupt from his fingers under the surface. Not even a flicker of it appeared, but the water warmed just as he had wanted. Not long after, it was hot enough for him to bathe.

Tony was right, it did feel good to burn away the tension and melt the stiffness in his joints. It was pleasantly warm and cleansing, another layer of the old Steve peeling away like a second skin. He let himself soak for what felt like hours, then scrubbed every inch of his body clean.

When he was done, he dried himself up and dressed in the new clothes that had been provided by Ross - green garments of the Earth kingdom. The fabric was much softer and smoother to the touch than the rough work of the Fire Nation. It felt foreign, but Steve felt grateful for having clean clothes.

He lingered in the confines of his hut - in the sleeping quarters - petting Hoshi's head, who decided to stick it in through the narrow window. Steve hoped he would be able to pull it out again, because they'd have a problem otherwise.

Soon enough, he was called by Ross' daughter Betty to join in on the feast. It was grand, and took place outside, so that everyone could be a part of it. The sun was shining, bringing in the biggest heat, but it didn't seem to bother anyone at Colver. Music was played on a bunch of strange instruments. Tables were joined together, adorned with moth-eaten cloths and an array of dishes, some of which Steve had never seen before. He wasn't a stranger to the cuisine of the Earth kingdom - after all, he spent weeks at a time camping out with his band of soldiers on the western coast, fending off attacks from the Fire Nation. Seventy years later and the main course looked like a giant cooked reptile, something Steve had yet to see served as a dish (it didn't remind him of Hoshi at all. It didn't.)

The festivities started with a toast in his honour. Once again, he felt like he didn't deserve all that praise and attention. It almost felt wrong. Cheers sounded all around, and Steve forced a smile on his face each time someone approached him, or looked his way with unwavering faith in their eyes.

It wasn't too long into the feast when general Ross cornered him again. 

"I hope you're enjoying the catgator," the general told Steve loudly over the music as he took what used to be Tony's seat. The inventor had left to get some dessert from the other side of the long row of tables.

"So that's what this is?" Steve asked, moving a piece of it around on his plate. He only tried it to be polite, he was much more interested in filling his stomach with rice and what the locals had called a possum chicken. It tasted quite similar to other poultry Steve had tried over the years.

"It's certainly different," he stated in regards to the catgator, "like nothing I've tried before."

"I am glad we could provide," Ross responded, lacing his fingers on the table. So he wasn't planning on leaving any time soon. Finally, Steve caved in.

"Is there something required of me, general?" he asked, overlooking the festivities. "I can't help but feel like there's something hanging in the air. Forgive me if I'm mistaken."

"Your assumption would be correct, Avatar."

"I will be happy to help with anything you're having trouble with," Steve told the general, "That's what I'm here for - it's my duty."

Ross looked like Steve just handed him the Avatar spirit itself, a smile curling his thin lips upward.

"As a matter of fact… we are having a bit of a… special problem. A spiritual one."

Steve sucked in a breath. Alright, he could do spiritual. Wouldn't be the first time he had to solve a crisis related to the spirits.

"Go on, general," Steve challenged the older man, who just shook his head.

"It would be better if I showed you. Come," he said and peeled himself off of the chair, just in time for Tony to come back with what appeared to be an egg custard tart.

"You let him take my seat?" Tony hissed in Steve's ear as the Avatar stood up as well.

"Didn't have much of a choice," Steve whispered back, "I'll be right back, hopefully."

"Well, fair's fair, so I'll let anyone take your seat if they want to. Bet these people are dying to sit on the same chair as you," Tony added with a smirk, and Steve just playfully shoved him before turning away and following the patiently waiting Ross. He led him back to the borrowed huts, off to the side where the ruins of a building remained. The music was far enough to hold a conversation at normal volume.

"Behold," Ross simply said, motioning to the pile of broken wood and splinters. Steve came closer to examine the damage.

"A spirit did this? Why?" he asked, furrowing his brows. It wasn't common for a spirit to be that violent. Either that, or humanity had upset the spirits a lot more since Steve's time period.

"We don't know. The attacks are erratic, irregular… and they always bring destruction. This one's from a week ago, and we haven't had a chance to start the repairs yet," Ross provided the answer. Steve crouched and traced his fingers over the jagged, broken pieces of wood. There weren't any claw or bite marks. If he had to guess, the hut was destroyed by blunt force.

"When did this all start? How long have you been dealing with it?" Steve questioned further after he stood back up.

"Since about half a year ago. It's a long running issue."

"Can you describe the spirit? Give me anything to work with?"

"He comes unexpectedly and disappears like a ghost, mostly at night. Those who had seen him, speak of a great green beast, with incredible strength. We call him Hulik, the green spirit. As you may have noticed, we set up a perimeter around Colver. However, none of our weapons are enough to subdue the spirit. We just have to wait until the carnage is over and hope that the spirit returns to the swamp."

"The swamp you say?" Steve asked, feeling his throat close up. This wasn't going in the direction he was hoping.

"That's where the spirit emerges from," Ross confirmed.

"I'll see what I can do," Steve declared after a brief pause. The distant music was overpowered by the low buzz of the swamp, now front and forward at the edge of Steve's mind. He didn't like it one bit.

* * *

"I need a favour," Steve said as he returned to the table and sat next to Tony. 

"D'pends on what you need, I'm a bit t-tipsy," Tony slurred and blinked repeatedly as if to clear his head.

"You'll have time to sober up, don't worry," Steve reassured him and took his empty glass. "I think you've had enough."

"You can't do that to me, Steve! It's my life and I'm living it," Tony complained, but made no attempt to reclaim the glass still well within his grasp, if he wished to take it.

"Come on, you'll clear your head," Steve prompted and grabbed Tony's arm. The dark haired man flinched, and Steve thought he had grabbed him by the injured arm, but the lack of bandages proved otherwise. Nevertheless, Tony got to his feet immediately, almost flipping his chair over, and allowed himself to be led off of the clearing and behind the Hall, where the music wasn't so loud and there was no one around.

"Listen, Tony," Steve began, waiting until the man's eyes focused, "the village is experiencing a problem with a spirit, and as the Avatar, it's my duty to solve it. The best course of action would be to enter the Spirit World. And I need your help."

"I'm not going to the Spirit World!" Tony blurted out, suddenly seeming sober and alert.

"I'm not asking that of you," Steve shook his head. "Not sure how much you know about the process, but I'm going to need someone to watch over me while I meditate. I haven't known you for long… Only for mere days. But you're the only one I'd trust to do this for me."

"Wow, if I'm your first choice, then you really have no standards," Tony muttered, the rest of the thought left unsaid - _either that, or you don't have any other choices, since everyone you've ever known is either dead or senile_. "But seriously, I'm honoured you'd trust me with something so important. You probably shouldn't, but the fact that you do, it's… a good feeling. Of course I'll help you. Where are we headed?"

"The line between the worlds is thin, and I need to cross it," Steve began explaining. "It is thinner in certain areas and in certain circumstances. For instance, it is easiest to cross during the summer and winter solstice. We can't really work with that, but dusk and dawn are also good opportunities for venturing into the Spirit World. Now we just need the place."

"Please tell me it's not in the swamp."

Steve didn't answer and Tony was suddenly at full attention, staring at him.

"Steve, tell me you don't want to go there?!"

"I have to, Tony. Its spiritual energy is unparalleled by anything within miles from here. I don't want to force you into anything, especially when you're a bit drunk, but lives might depend on how fast I solve this issue."

Instead of flipping him off, Tony just laughed hysterically.

"This is just perfect, and crazy! Perfectly crazy, just like you! Did you forget that you heard a voice?"

"That's the reason why I need to go there. The lines blur in the fog, the divide between the worlds is unclear. I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important. But I won't force you," Steve concluded. He'd do it on his own if he had to.

"As I said, this is crazy," Tony repeated, "but what gives, I'll do it. However, make no mistake - if something eats us, I'll kill you."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Steve grinned, relieved. He missed his old friends and it felt good to have someone who had his back again.

"We wait till dusk, then we depart."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story notes:
> 
> -In MCU canon, Steve's mom Sarah passed away when he was 18. I decided to reel it back by two years for maximum emotional damage  
> -All the stuff about Ross is based on how sleazy he is in the movies haha, I hate that guy  
> -According to ATLA canon, catgators are actually supposed to be docile and the Foggy Swamp Tribe keeps them as pets. Then I thought, well, people in the real world do eat catfish so... why not make it a local speciality. Sorry, catgators!
> 
> That about covers it for this chapter. In the next one, we venture into the spirit world...
> 
> Thank you for reading <3 as always, kudos, bookmarks and comments are greatly appreciated!


End file.
